The Heart of the Matter
by iamlostinclouds
Summary: Déorwyn is the sister of Boromir and Faramir. After his departure to Rivendell, she has a vision of his death. Determined to save her brother, she follows him. She finds herself in the middle of the war for the ring, and her heart. Déorwyn/Eomer
1. Osgiliath

I know my facts aren't correct, sue me. Completely AU, with Tolkein inspiration.

Tolkein owns all characters, except for Morwen, and possibly some other obvious additions.

Also. Elfish sayings are very rough, and probably not correct. Just go with it.

One more thing- ages of characters have been modified to fit with the story line. Though they are not important.

**Osgiliath:**

For the first time in 10 months, the sun broke through the thick veil of smoke that encompassed all of Osgiliath. The city had been under siege by orcs from Mordor. Soldiers had been sent from all cities in Gondor to protect the city, and today, they had succeeded in driving the last of the vermin out of the city.

On this day, the daughter of Denethor II, Steward of Gondor, was in a carriage, sitting next to her father on their way to the celebration in the center of Osgiliath. She was uncomfortable- for more than one reason. One, she hated being in a carriage. She would much rather be riding on a horse. Second, the trip from Minas Tirath was long and she found it hard to relax. And last, she always was uneasy around her father. They did not have the best of relationships. In fact, they did not even have a relationship at all. When she was born, her mother, the beautiful Finduilas, suffered complications and passed a few hours after labor.

Denethor looked at her as a curse. Had it not been for Boromir, his favorite son, she would have been cast out of Minas Tirath, to become adopted by a farmer's family on the outskirts of Gondor. Denethor allowed her to stay, and named her Morwen, or dark maiden. Her older brothers, Boromir and Faramir took care of her. They spoiled her, as every girl should be, and they were extremely overprotective of her. And they never referred to her as Morwen, for it was a name not suited for their beauty of a sister. Déorwyn became her name. Faramir chose it out of one of his books about the land of Rohan. It meant brave joy. Everyone she met referred to her as Déorwyn, unless she got herself into trouble, and Boromir would jokingly call her Morwen to poke fun at her wicked ways.

The two brothers made sure that their sister was trained in every aspect of royal life of a lady of the high court of Gondor. They had her study history, literature and even To Boromir's suggestion, the art of archery. He wanted to make sure she was prepared for any situation.

The carriage bumped on, until finally, Denethor spoke.

"We are nearly there." He spoke. This was usually the extent of his communication with Déorwyn. As she grew older, he became more civil and she respected him, but only because of his title. No man should treat his daughter like a curse. She did try, to Boromir's constant requests, to try to provoke conversations with him to show Denethor that she was not cursed. Faramir stayed out of anything having to do with Denethor, for even he did not have a great relationship with his father.

"Thank the gods, I am not sure how much longer I could sit in this carriage, with this heat and in this dress!" She joked. Denethor just stared at the road ahead. She paused, hoping for a response. When she received none, she continued, " I can not wait to great Boromir and Faramir. It is a miracle they were not hurt and came out victorious. It will be nice to have them around the city for a while"

To her surprise, Denethor answered. "Yes, Boromir did not let me down in Osgiliath. I knew I could count on him to lead my men to victory."

"And what of Faramir? Was he not on the front lines next to Boromir? Yes, even though Boromir is the Captain of the Minas Tirath army,, Faramir constantly proves to be just as equal to Boromir on the battlefield. When will you see this?"

She knew that she would not get a response.

The carriage carried on. Finally, after a six-hour journey, they were pulling into the main streets of Osgiliath. Soldiers were lining the street to welcome the Steward. They even were acknowledging Déorwyn, hoping to catch her eye. She was marrying age- twenty- and soldiers were calling on her left and right, hoping to court her. She was not interested in any of them, as they all wanted her for her title, not for herself.

Denethor just grinned and waved at the soldiers. Déorwyn waved, but was preoccupied searching for her two brothers. She spotted Boromir who caught her attention standing on the top of a platform downing a pint. She laughed and didn't wait for the carriage to come to a complete stop before she bolted out of it and toward her eldest brother.

"Boromir!" She yelled, "Boromir!"

"Déorwyn! My sister! My day is now complete! Why, you look more radiant and lady like every day." He mused. He pulled out a white flower from behind his back and placed it in behind her ear. "There, your outfit is compete. You are truly a white lady of Gondor" and he placed a kiss on her forehead. He was the most spoiling of the two. Faramir also spoiled her, but only after her lessons were complete.

Just then, while wondering where her brother Faramir was, he slipped up behind her and swung her around in an embrace.

"Déorwyn! Sister! How great it is to see you! I trust your journey from the White City was enjoyable?" he asked. She stared at him questioningly. He just laughed. He knew that being confined in a carriage, on a hot day with their father was not the most enviable positions to be for 6 hours. He went on, " Ah ha, I see our brother has given you the flower of Osgiliath, but why only one? Our sister deserves much more," and presented her with a necklace made of the dainty flowers. Her eyes opened wide and reached for it. Faramir pulled it away and said, " Not so fast. First, , who was the first king of Gondor?"

"King Elendil. Easy." She responded

"Hmm, more challenging then. Lord and Lady of Lothlórien?"

"Ahh…. Lady Galadriel and…ahh"

"Yes…" Faramir provoked.

"Lord… Celeborn?"

"Correct Again! And finally, translate_- __Seler kalina re_"

Déorwyn was stumped. Truthfully, she had not kept up with her elven translation. These past months had been very hectic with her country at battle. She had spent most of her time in the healing house helping the healers with the wounded brought in from Osgiliath.

"Morwen! You promised to keep up with your studies!" Faramir chastised.

"Brother! Must you quiz our sister on a day of celebration such as today!" Boromir piped in and snatched the necklace from him and placed it around his sister.

"Only you can make a flower look unattractive" Faramir said and added " We will talk about the elfish later." And proceeded to kiss her on the forehead as Boromir had done earlier. Déorwyn chuckled.

"My Sons!" Denethor had appeared from the bottom of the platform. He looked happy. He always looked happy around Boromir. His pride and joy. He just brushed passed Faramir with just a pat on the shoulder in good form. "Boromir. I must congratulate you on an epic win! You are an able captain"

"Hardly epic, father" He hated when his father overly praised him and not his brother. "Faramir did most of the fighting and-"

"Nonsense!" interrupted the Steward. "My son and Captain deserve highest regards for his victory here today!"

"Our win. Gondor's Win." Faramir corrected curtly.

"Yes, yes. Ah, where were we…" he picked up a pitcher of ale " To my son, and to Gondor! May we keep the evils of Mordor at bay!" and with that, the crowd of soldiers erupted in a sea of cheers. Not even Déorwyn could deny her father's words. With Osgiliath secured, the orcs would have a hard time getting through to the White City.

When the cheers died down, the obscure family of four just stood there staring at each other, waiting for someone to say something.

"Boromir, a word" the father finally said. Boromir gave his leave, kissed his sister on the cheek and clasped his brother's shoulder.

"Lady Déorwyn! Déorwyn!" a voice cried from in front of her. It was Grayson, her friend growing up and now, soldier under her brother's command.

"Grayson! My friend, how are you!" she ran and embraced him. " It has been long since I've seen you! Battle has done well for you I see!"

"Aye! It has! I feel more like a man and less like the boy I last saw you as! Lord Faramir, may I steal your sister away for a moment?"

Although Déorwyn was fond of her friend, she had not wished to be alone with him. Long has she known that Grayson's feelings for her had not matched hers for his. And even though they were friends, he could be rather romantic and creepy at times, and she really, really, did not see him like that. She pleaded with Faramir with her eyes to keep her by his side.

"Of course, Grayson. She's all yours." Faramir replied with a grin. He was very pleased with his choice of words, knowing it would annoy Déorwyn. She just glared at him and went with her friend.

Grayson led them to a bench that was secluded from the celebration. Déorwyn knew what was coming and began formulating her refusal as he talked.

"Lady Déorwyn" he began formally, "Déorwyn, my Déorwyn." She fought to not roll her eyes, " long have I waited for this day. I had wanted to do this earlier, when you became of age, but, obviously I have been delayed." With this comment, he laughed. Déorwyn tried to not make her laugh sound like a pity laugh; she didn't want to humiliate her friend. " But, alas, here we are. Lord, I cannot wait any longer, Déorwyn, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Without hesitation, she replied, "I'm sorry Grayson, but no. You know me better than this. You know that I will marry for love and you-nowhere in your feeble attempt at a proposal once said I love you. That, is the first reason I will not marry you. Second- I like you because you are my friend. You make me laugh and you make me forget that I am unwanted by my father. You are like another brother to me. I'm sorry if I have hurt your feelings, but you as well as I know that you would only marry me for position which is the third reason iwill not marry you. When I marry I will not be concerned with rank. I could marry the next king of Gondor or a blacksmith's son, but you can be sure that I will do it for love."

Grayson just sat there, not knowing what to say. He thought that their friendship meant more to her than that.

"Well, milady, the only thing I have to say is, where are you going to find love in Gondor?! I do believe Osgiliath is the farthest away from the White City that you have ever been! And even in the city, we used to sit and poke fun at those who approached you. I thought that I was the obvious match for you! Our families are-"

"Grayson, Stop right there! I am you friend and I will remain that. But ONLY that! I am going to walk away and back to the celebration and I am willing to forget this ever happened. Please don't think less of me, just know that I just can't." and with that, she left Grayson sitting on the bench to rejoin her brothers.

She sought out Faramir, who was with Boromir. They looked tense. To lighten the mood, Déorwyn rushed over to Faramir and smacked him on the arm.

"That was not funny! You are cruel brother!" Faramir smiled slightly, but his expression said, not right now. "What is wrong? I left you both in high spirits, yet now you seem grim. What is wrong?" she demanded.

"Sister. Father has commanded me to go on a journey." Déorwyn looked confused. She had only seen her brother for the first time in 10 months and now he was to be taken away from her?

"Boromir, but- wha- where-" she stuttered, not sure of what to say.

"I don't want to keep this from you my little one. I am to ride to the land of Rivendell to meet with Lord Elrond of the Elves. I am to bargain for a certain artifact that is to arrive there. It will surly bring prosper to the land of Gondor once more." He was not telling the whole truth. She knew this.

"What artifact, Boromir." She again, demanded.

"We believe the Ring of Power will be in Rivendell" Faramir answered, knowing that his brother did not want to trouble his sister.

Déorwyn knew of this ring. It was once the greatest weapon on all of middle earth. It was the ruler of all rings of power. And I t was owned by the deadliest and most evil man of them all- if you could call him a man. Sauron was now a figure in a tower who was killing millions in order to find his precious ring.

"I don't know what you say. I only just got you back and now your leaving on a mission to receive a ring that may not even be there? And even if you get this ring, you would bring that evil back here? This doesn't make any sort of sense my brother. Help me understand. Please tell me that I have at least some time with you!"

"I fear I must leave as of right now. It is a month's trip to Rivendell and I mustn't miss my opportunity. I am sorry, I hope you will forgive me" Boromir replied. His sister was crying now. He hated to see her cry. Almost as much as when he hated she was crying because of him.

"Of course I forgive you, my brother. I hate our father." She said, with true hatred in her eyes. With that, she hugged her brother, never wanting to let go. Boromir embraced Faramir, mounted his horse and rode off towards Rivendell.

Faramir and Déorwyn were speechless. Within an hour, she gained her two brothers back into her life after 10 months and lost her eldest brother to a journey that will more than likely keep him for another 10 months.

When the driver approached them that it was time to leave for Minas Tirath and that the carriage was ready for departure. She refused to ride in the carriage with Denethor and had Faramir ready her a horse to ride home. Within another hour, Faramir and Déorwyn were ready to leave for the White City. They had not exchanged more than a few words for neither of them knew what to say.

They approached the gates of Minas Tirath in the early evening. In the stables, while they were putting away their horses, Déorwyn noticed a white horse in the stable next to hers. Rarely did she ever see a white stead in the White City. And only a horse this beautiful and majestic could only belong to one man. Gandalf the Grey was in Minas Tirath.


	2. The Vision

**The Vision**

Déorwyn instantly recognized Shadowfax. When she was a girl, she spent a good deal of time riding alongside Gandalf learning about the White City, Gondor and Middle Earth. He was her first tutor and her favorite. After Gandalf left the city, no one could ever take his place. He knew first hand from his travels about every land and race of Middle Earth.

"Faramir! Gandalf is here!" She exclaimed as she bolted out of the stables. She had not seen the wizard in years. It was rumored that he had come to Minas Tirath a few months ago, but locked himself in the archives and quickly departed.

Faramir chased after her, trying to calm her down, but she was too fast. She made her way up to the top level of the tiered city and went directly to the great hall, where she often found Gandalf smoking his pipe as he criticized Denethor's rule over the kingdom. She loved that Gandalf had little faith in her father and was constantly searching for the true heir to the thrown of Gondor.

She approached the great hall's doors just as Gandalf burst out of them, knocking her over with his staff.

"Oh, heavens. My dear Déorwyn! Forgive me, I-" the old wizard began before being cut off by the embrace of the girl.

When she let go, she began, "Gandalf! What brings you to Minas Tirath! I had not expected you! With word I would have had a feast prepared in your honor. Long has it been!"

"Agreed! And I must stop you from preparing what would have been a marvelous feast; your hospitality rivals that of the Hobbits! but I am afraid I cannot stay. I have business that needs to be attended to " He stated.

By this time, Faramir appeared- completely winded from trying to catch up with his sister. Gandalf greeted him with high regards, and congratulated him on his victory at Osgiliath.

"Gandalf," Faramir started. " I am afraid you have missed Boromir. Father has sent him to Rivendell to-"

" To bargain for the ring of power, yes I know. This is why I am here. I have no intentions of letting the ring slip into the hands of Denethor, and I can let you know this, Lord Elrond will not simply let the ring slip into the hands of a human- no offense that is." Gandalf spoke.

"None taken for I know of the possession that this ring would bring. I know of it's evil." Faramir replied.

"Gandalf, why must Boromir go then? Why did Denethor send him away? He only just finished battle and he was to return to the City to spend time with me. I have been lonely without the company of my two brothers. I wish he had not had left." Déorwyn said, beginning to tear up. She was tired from her long day of travel and wide range of emotions.

"Alas, my little student, I do not have an answer. I must be on my way though-" he said.

"Gandalf, can you not stay until morning! I beg of you, please. There is much I wish to talk to you about, and I fear I will not see you for many more months!" Déorwyn begged. She knew that Gandalf could not say no to her. He thought of her like his own kin, and did not have the heart to turn her down. He thought for a moment.

"Ah, in fact yes. The hour is late, and it has been a rough day. I shall give Shadowfax a good nights rest and tomorrow I must depart. But you, missy, must be off to bed. You look as if you would curl up right now on this stone if you could! Come now, off to bed" Gandalf ordered.

Déorwyn did not protest. Knowing that her wizard friend was to stay till morning made her feel like she won the battle. She looked to Faramir, who was chuckling at her young girl ways of persuasion. He kissed her on the forehead and sent her to bed.

Déorwyn did not bother saying goodnight to her father. She knew he didn't care.

_The woods were silent. Too silent. She was in a forest somewhere she had never been before. All of the sudden, she herd a great horn blow. _

_THE HORN OF GONDOR! She thought. This meant one thing. Boromir was near by. _

_She raced after the horn, for it called two more times. She saw her brother fighting of what looked like monsters. She had never seen anything so evil looking in her whole life. This, she thought, must be the legendary Uruk Hai of Isenguard. There were six non-monsters that she could see, including her brother. An Elf, a Dwarf, another Man and two small creatures, which her brother was shielding. These, she deduced must be hobbits._

_Just then, a loud WHISP was herd. An arrow came flying by her, just missing her ear. _

"_DÉORWYN!!!_" _Boromir cried. She ran toward him, pulling out a dagger from her belt. As an Uruk charged toward her, he was caught off guard by a rock thrown at his head by one of the Hobbits. With his guard down, Déorwyn thrust her dagger into his chest, killing the beast. _

_Boromir looked on, happy that his sister had killed the monster. A thick, black arrow struck him as his back was turned. _

_Déorwyn cried out, but it was too late. Boromir was hit again, and again by arrows and kept on getting back up to protect his sister and the two small Hobbits. He finally succumbed. As she went to her brother, She was trampled by Uruk, and carried off with the two Hobbits. She looked back, screaming, kicking to her brother, who laid lifeless in the arms of the other man. She passed out._

Déorwyn woke with sweat dripping down her fore head. She breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was just a dream.

She looked out the window and saw Gandalf sitting under the tree of kings. She quickly dressed and went to him. Something was not right.

" My child!" Gandalf stated as she approached. When she got closer, he could see something was troubling her. " My child, what ever is the matter?"

" Gandalf, I just had the most horrifying dream" she said. " I was in a forest and overlooked as my brother, Boromir, fought off the monster Uruk Hai. He was in the company of six other men. He was caught off guard and fell at the hands of a Uruk." She looked worried. When the words were coming out of her mouth, she couldn't even believe what she was saying. Nothing could take down her Boromir. It was just a dream. "I guess, though, Gandalf, it was just a dream. Forgive me for troubling you with my silliness."

"Nonsense. As I say, everything happens for a reason, and that includes dreams. Now tell me, who was in the company of your brother Déorwyn?" he inquired.

" There was Boromir, another man, an elf, and a dwarf. Oh yes! And two Hobbits!!"

Gandalf's eyes grew wide. "Frodo-" he breathed so that she could not hear.

"Gandalf, Boromir is going to be alright, right?"

"I do not have the answers, my child. Only that the path Boromir soon will take is treacherous and very dangerous. I do not have any answers." Gandalf said.

"Then someone has got to warn him! He is better off protecting the city than in the forest with an unfamiliar company!"

" 'Tis what I informed your father last evening, but he would not listen. His greed for the ring is clouding his mind and he would send his proclaimed favorite son to his doom" Gandalf said. His talk of Boromir's doom was not making her feel any better. "The day grows late, I must be on my way! I beg of you Déorwyn, do not do anything irrational." And without even a good bye, he was gone.

She would not let this happen. Something had to be done. Boromir would not die.

She stormed into the Great hall, only to find Faramir standing at the tableside while Denethor ate his breakfast. Denethor finished without acknowledging Déorwyn's presence.

"You will go back to Osgiliath and that is final. I do not want your brother's hard work to be just thrown to the dogs. You must protect the city." Denethor commanded.

Faramir, who had no choice but to command, bowed to the Steward and started to leave the hall. Déorwyn stopped him. Faramir needed to hear this.

"My lord," she began, " I have had a vision of Boromir falling on this mission you have sent him on. You must send riders out to bring him back. Call off this hunt for the ring. You do not need it. Gondor will be better again!"

"And what would a girl know of what is best for Gondor" Denethor replied.

This was pointless. She went to Faramir. "My brother, you must ride out and stop him." She pleaded.

Faramir could see the concern and worry in her eyes, which made him uneasy. He felt her sorrow. " Sister, I myself, cannot carry out what you ask, as I leave this moment for Osgiliath. But, I will send out a small troop of the best 10 riders I can spare to fetch Boromir." This last part, he spoke softly as to not inform Denethor of his plan to foil his plan for the ring. This was not good enough for Déorwyn.

"I will ride out with them. He will listen to me."

"I wont have it! By now, Boromir is only a day's ride from here and if I dispatch the group soon enough, they will be able to catch up with him within a day." Faramir stated.

"Just let me-" she began

"No. And that's final. You must promise me you will not leave with the group. Its to dangerous out there and I could not live with myself if you were hurt." Faramir said.

She could not bear to fight with her brother. She must go and get Boromir. He would not listen to a group of young soldiers. She had to be there.

"Fine brother, but send Grayson with the group. He knows Boromir and will relay my message" she added.

"As you wish, my sister. I must prepare my horse for Osgiliath, excuse me." Faramir said and left.

She was really getting sick of everyone coming in to her life and leaving. This was getting old. It was final. She was going to go after Boromir. She needed some sort of excitement of her own.

Just for formality, she addressed her father.

"My Lord, Boromir will surly die if he embarks on this mission. I am going after him. Do I have your blessing."

"Bring back my boy." Was all Denethor could say.

"If I return, I hope you think better of me father." She boldly said. She never, ever called him father to his face.

"We shall see. Morwen" he added.

She left the great hall and went to prepare her things for the journey.


	3. Preperations

**Preparations**

On her way to her quarters, Déorwyn ran into Grayson. They stood for a moment, not knowing what they should really do. To make things less awkward, Grayson, smiled and began-

"Déorwyn, I feel like I should apologize for yester day, I..."

"No, friend, the apology should come from me. I was too abrupt and short with you. I should have explained myself more civilly than I did. Forgive me?" she asked.

"Of course! I just wish you not to be sore with me for even asking. Though my intentions were honorable, I can understand where you were coming from. You are my best friend, and I love you like a sister. A lover? Maybe not; but a sister, yes. I guess it just seemed logical to marry. If you not wish the match, I will never speak of the topic again." He stated.

Déorwyn threw her arms around her friend in a tight embrace. " Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! And I promise, you will find someone! I say 1 week back here in Minas Tirath, and you will have all the girls swooning over your new warrior physique"

Grayson blushed. He had never been extremely popular with the girls of Minas Tirath, but in the few hours since he has been back, he had received a few glances here and there. His future looked promising.

"Déorwyn, I must tell you though, I am not to remain in the city for very long. In fact, I leave this hour after Lord Boromir. Apparently, he is off-"

"Off to Rivendell to retrieve the Ring of Power from the Elves. Yes, I know. I had the vision," She informed him. Knowing that Faramir was out of the city heading for Osgiliath, she took this opportunity to inform Grayson of her intentions, "And Grayson, I am informing you right now that I am to journey with you."

He stood there, bewildered. She surely was not serious. A woman never traveled with men on a long mission, it was unheard of. Though she was very capable on horse and with a bow, he knew Lord Faramir would never allow his little sister to journey. As he thought, Déorwyn knew that he needed encouragement to see things her way. She added, " The Steward, my father, has given his blessing for my addition into the rescue mission." She pointedly stated.

He looked more at ease. He did not like going against his captain, but technically, she had permission from the Steward, and no word went against that.

"Alright. You can join the company, but-"

Without hesitation, she began: " There is so much to do. Go and ready the men and horses. Send a page to the kitchen for food and supplies. Be ready in an hour. I must go to my quarters and prepare." And with that, she was off, leaving Grayson to go and ready the company.

She ran to her quarters. There was much to be done. She had never been on a long adventure like this on horseback, but had always wanted to. Boromir even bought her a complete kit for travel and promised to take her to visit Dol Amroth by the Bay of Belfalas, but that was before the before war broke out. _Maybe Soon, _She thought.

She packed two saddlebags with clothes and medical supplies to be safe. She readied herself in a ridding dress, boots, cape and her belt, which harnessed her dagger. While looking around her room, she stopped as her gaze fell upon her desk.

The desk had been a gift from Faramir- clearly as a symbol of the importance of studies. It was large and absolutely beautiful. There was no doubt that it had cost him a fortune! She often found herself there studying, or reading, or writing letters to her brothers while they were off at war.

_I must write to Faramir._

She sat down at her desk and readied a pen and parchment.

_Faramir-_

_Although you suggested that I remain in Minas Tirath, I have decided that it would be in the best interest of Boromir if I go. He will not listen to the soldiers, but he will listen to me. If he sees how this dream of his downfall has affected me, he will reconsider continuing to Rivendell._

_Before you leave your duties in Osgiliath, know that I am with 10 of your most able men, Grayson included. He is like another brother for me, and will not put me in harms way. We mean to take the roads Northwest toward Rivendell, and hope to intercept Boromir before he does something he, and our family, will regret. There has been no report of Orcs or Uruk in these parts. We will stay as far away from Isenguard as possible. _

_I can understand that you should be upset with me. If it helps, I do have the blessing form the Steward of Gondor? I guess not. You have my full permission to use whatever means necessary to reprimand me upon my return, but know that this is something I HAVE to do. _

_I love you, my Faramir, My brother. I hope the days will be upon us soon where you, Boromir and I can dwell amongst the city as we had done before this terrible war. Until then, I will miss you._

_Love, your little sister,_

_Déorwyn_

She sealed the letter with a tear in her eye. How long would it be until she saw Faramir again? Hopefully soon. Hopefully she would not encounter danger on her journey. Hopefully, she would not be too late to save Boromir. She needed hope. She must have hope.

She summoned a page, and told him that this must get to Lord Faramir. He went and had the message dispatched with the next messenger to Osgiliath.

She gathered her things, grabbed her bow and made her way to the stables to find Grayson and the 9 other soldiers ready for departure.

" Are you ready?" Grayson asked with a laugh in his voice. He had never seen Déorwyn dressed this way, and he was rather amused by it.

With out acknowledging his source for humor, she responded, "Let's do this."

A/N- sorry for the delay, i have had alot to do with the holidays and finals. This was going to be one long chapter, but i need time to think about the second part, so here this is to tide you over!


	4. Journey

**A/N thank you everyone for reviewing, this is my first story EVER and I know it's a bit shaky and jumpy at points. I'm going to go back and edit once the story is done. Thank you for the support! Keep Reviewing.**

**Also, I looked at a map of middle earth, and everything I say is COMPLETELY inaccurate, forgive me all you die hard LOTR fans. I know the characters, but now I am only just beginning to learn about the land!! **

**Journey**

The company set out from Minas Tirath at noon that day. She had her horse, Chestnut prepared. He had been a gift from her brothers on her eighteenth birthday.

They rode hard and fast for six straight hours, and only stopped briefly once in order to give the horses a bit to drink.

To Déorwyn, the journey was bittersweet. She absolutely loved seeing the countryside of Gondor and into the different realms, but the cause was not desirable. She could not help but think of what she was going to even say to Boromir when they encountered him. She knew that she was the only person who could get him to come home, but would that be enough. Boromir had been sent out on a mission from his Steward. Yes, the steward happened to be his father, but that didn't even matter. He would more likely break a vow made to his father than to his steward. She tried not to think about it. Although, if she wasn't thinking about what to say to her brother, she was thinking about how sore she already was form the ride.

Just then, Grayson- who had been leading the pack, handed off navigating to another officer and he slowed down to talk to Déorwyn and see how she was doing.

"How do you fair, Lady Déorwyn?" He asked.

"Lady Déorwyn?" she asked, not used to his formalities. " We are now on a formal basis? Why did you not inform me, Master Grayson?" she poked.

"Funny, " he said dryly, " I only use your title to have the other soldiers show you respect. We are not in company of Captains and Lords, but Pages and low ranking Soldiers."

He had a point, she knew this. Although, she didn't like it one bit. She did not wish to be treated like a glass doll on this journey. She would make it a point to address all her fellow travelers about her wishes at camp that night.

She just rolled her eyes and evaded the topic for the time being. " to answer your initial question, I am doing alright. I have never been on a horse for this long and at this pace, so this is new to me. But, I am not complaining. I just wish we knew exactly where my brother was." She said.

" That would be too easy. At LEAST we know his end point, and you are lucky enough to be with the best navigator in Minas Tirath. We will be in Rivendell in no time. But I fear, the sun dwells to close to the horizon and in a few hours we will need to break for the night and make camp." He said.

She was not thrilled about stopping, time sitting around was time lost in the attempts to find Boromir. But, she knew that riding throughout the night would be hard on her, the horses and the other men.

In another hour, they had found an empty patch of grass in a meadow to camp in. They traveled light, and only had blankets to sleep under and a pan to cook whatever they could find in the wilderness.

As four of the men hunted for a wild rabbit to eat, Déorwyn began readying an area for a fire. Two other men went to gather wood, and Grayson and the other three men sat around maps figuring out the best way into Rivendell, as well as the possible routs Boromir could have taken. At dinner, she did make a point to have the men just call her Déorwyn, but it didn't take. Within 10 minutes of her request, they were calling her Lady again. She shrugged. It would be no use to keep correcting them, so she let it go.

Their next few days carried on just as they had on that first day. Ride for the entire day, with brief stops, and camp at night. She was tired, and dirty. She Hated being dirty. Not in a prissy way, but she just didn't like going a few days without a proper wash.

Déorwyn was getting worried that they were lost, and went to question Grayson about it one night at camp.

"Grayson, my friend, we have been traveling for 4 days now. Forgive me for questioning your navigation skills, but shouldn't we be caught up to Boromir by now?" she questioned.

"that was my plan, milady, but I figure, Boromir left from Osgiliath, and we from Minas Tirath. We are not on the same path. If it is alright with you, Déorwyn, I plan on taking the company directly to Rivendell to either meet or wait for Lord Boromir." Grayson asked.

Déorwyn was getting so anxious to see her brother. She needed to know that he was okay. She realized that what Grayson had said about their paths was probably true. She had him point out on their map their general location and Rivendell. She assumed that they would be in Rivendell in less than a week. She did the same calculations for the distance between Rivendell and Osgiliath, and figured out that Boromir should be arriving the same time if not sooner. She nodded to her friend and accepted his request.

"You look tired my friend" He said.

"And probably so dirty that you can't even recognize me." She added. They had a laugh. It was good to know that they could keep their friendship and openness after what had transpired between them a few days ago.

"yes, you do. Why don't I take you to the stream where you can wash your face off. Surely that will make you feel better?" he asked.

She beamed. "I would appreciate that so much, Grayson!" _Finally! I get to wash_ she though.

He laughed at her, and informed the men of their plans to go and wash and if anyone were to wish, they could join them. A few men took them up on it, and they set off toward a nearby stream.

The water felt amazing on her skin. She had been sweating in the heat and dirt that had flown up form the horses was caked onto her face and hair. She washed her face and brushed out her hair an re braided it. She took a long time, only because she needed to relax. She took off her riding boots and dipped her bare feet into the stream as well, and just sat there. The Men were taking about their battles, and stories of their lives. Although she wasn't really paying any attention, she enjoyed their company. It was nice to have something take her mind off of Boromir, Riding and the war for a little bit.

But that little bit of distraction was not enough to prepare her for what happened next.

Without warning, a blood-curdling scream was herd from back at their camp. Without even putting her boots back on, she got up with the rest of the men and rushed back towards the sounds. When they got there, they could not have been more surprised, and unprepared for what was going on.

A small clan of about 12 Orcs had ambushed their camp. With leaving only six of the men there, they were completely outnumbered. Quickly, the remaining men ran toward their horses and pulled out there weapons and went to kill the orcs. Déorwyn froze. She had never been this close to a real life fight before and was completely caught off guard. All around her she saw her own men and orcs fall to the ground dead. She did not even realize when one of the orcs spotted her and chased after her. Grayson, caught up to it and cut it from its left shoulder into its right abdomen. He said, "Déorwyn, RUN! Get on the horse and ride as fast as you can that way, " he pointed to his left, " I will catch up to you!" he said and hussled her off to her horse.

She Ran, and didn't know why but she looked back once she mounted Chestnut. She wish she hadn't. As she began galloping into the night, she looked back and saw Grayson, her one true friend, other than her brothers, stab his own blade in to the last orc at the same time that the orc blade glided through his left chest- his heart. Yes, the orcs were all dead, but so went all her company, and Grayson.

Tears poured down her face as she rode into the night. By morning, she was to tired and scared to even stop to rest, she reduced her speed to a light jog and eventually, fell asleep atop Chestnut. She bobbed in and out of consciousness. She was riding like this for what seemed like days, without food or water. She finally drifted into a deep sleep.

When she awoke, she was surrounded by trees and light. She knew not where she was, but had a feeling. Was this Rivendell?

Here eyes were foggy, and throughout the bright rays of the sun, she made out the body of a tall, blond man, with his bow pointed right at her. unable to keep her focus on the man, she fainted and fell off Chestnut- only to be caught by the mysterious figure.


	5. Lothlórien

**Thanks for the reviews! This is a long chapter for me, and it took me a while to get everything right. Thanks for waiting!**

**Lothlórien**

Déorwyn woke up in darkness. The darkness frightened her. She was not able to make out anything. Was she in Rivendell? Was she safe? She could not help but to think about the orcs who ambushed her camp and her friend she had lost. She began to panic. She bolted upright and tried to move her hands about to feel for a lamp of sorts.

Her head pounded and her right side of her abdomen was in a lot of pain from falling. She winced as she moved to get up she was halted by a soft hand.

By now, her eyes had become adjusted to the darkness and she could make out the figure in front of her. She was in a bedroom with wide open windows and a door that led out to a balcony overlooking the forest she was in. here eyes caught the piercing blue eyes of the woman who's hand was lightly ushering her back to lie down.

"Child, you are not yet fully fit to be up and walking. Drink this tea and rest. We will talk in the morning" The woman handed her a small glass of a sweet smelling tea. For some reason, she knew she could trust this woman. She wasn't sure, but thought that this woman could have been the Lady Arwen of Rivendell. She had herd of her beauty and kindness and knew that it would be okay to drink this tea.

She sipped the cup and within a minute, was laying back against the soft mattress and pillows and sleeping.

The next morning, Déorwyn woke with no pain to her head and abdomen. The light streamed into the massive room she was in. she was on a large bed, covered in fine linens. The furniture was beautiful- nothing like she had ever seen in Gondor. She looked over to the doors leading out to the balcony and saw the woman who had given her the tea the night before standing there. She moved to get up, and the woman heard her. The woman turned around.

Déorwyn looked at her. This was most defiantly an elf. She was tall, with long blonde hair. Her skin was soft, pale and delicate and her ears came to a point at the top. She was dressed in a long white gown, and wore an ornate ring on her right pointer finger.

"Lady Arwen," Déorwyn said lightly.

The woman smiled and chuckled.

"Lady Arwen is my granddaughter, my child, I am the Lady Galadriel of the realm of Lothlórien. You came to our borders yesterday afternoon. The captain of our archers, Haldir, found you and brought you here. He recognized your necklace as the crest of the Nobles of Gondor. Tell me now, child, who are you?" Galadriel spoke.

Déorwyn touched her necklace. She always wore it, just because. It was the only thing Denethor had ever given her, and it was only because it was tradition that every noble was given a crest as a child. Her brothers always wore their rings, and had told her to keep the necklace on. I guess she knew now why.

"Déorwyn…" she answered hesitantly. She had so many questions. Lothlórien? Galadriel? Where was Boromir, and how did she get here?

Galadriel spoke and answered her questions without even opening up her mouth. She, somehow, was inside Déorwyn's mind.

_Ah, Lady Déorwyn, daughter of Denethor, Steward of Gondor. Welcome to Lothlórien. Yes, child, you have come to the realm of the Lothlórien. I, Galadriel, am Queen and my mate, Celeborn, is king. I hope you do not mind me communicating this way, but while you were asleep I looked into your mind. Boromir has made it to Rivendell. He has joined the fellowship of the Ring, and is journeying back to Mordor to help the Hobbit Ring bearer destroy it. You're your company was attacked by orcs, you came here, and Haldir found you. Your company, as it was, were only a few days outside of this forest, and nowhere near to Rivendell. You were in not good shape, and Haldir brought you to this house of healing to recover. _

Déorwyn stared at the Queen in shock. The information given her did answer her questions, but she was still confused. But, her main concern was addressed. Boromir was safe.

"Lady Galadriel, do you know of the path this fellowship takes? Forgive me for being so open, but I am very concerned about the wellbeing of my brother. I had a vision of him falling due to the ring, and if I could just continue my journey to stop him, I would be most grateful" Déorwyn said.

"Déorwyn, you are still very weak and have not yet had proper nourishment. But, you will be glad to know that I have seen the path that the fellowship takes. They will pass through the mines of Moria and into the woodland realm within a fortnight. I beg that you stay here where it is safe until their arrival." Galadriel requested.

Déorwyn thought for a moment. Although she wanted to get to Boromir as soon as possible, she did not want to even think about the conditions the mines would hold. She had herd of dark magic at work within the caves, and she was not prepared to even consider handling that. She looked at Galadriel and nodded.

"Thank you, Lady Déorwyn." Galadriel said. "I do wish that your stay in Lothlórien will be filled with joy in these dark times. Why don't you come with me, and we can set you up in a lovely room in my house. I will introduce you to people as we walk. Come on!"

With that, Déorwyn grabbed her saddlebags and followed Galadriel out of the house of healing and through the forest to a large tree house in the middle of the village. She had never seen anything like it. The lush land had never been destroyed to build any of the structures. If a tree was in the way, the house was built around it.

The made it up the spiral stair case to her living quarters. The room she was staying in had a thick trunk of a tree in the middle of it, and a large bed in the corner. It was beautiful- nothing like her quarters back in Minas Tirath. She smiled and hugged Galadriel.

As the days passed, Déorwyn met many elves of the kingdom. She found herself forming a friendship with Haldir, the captain who found her. He treated her like a sister and helped her take her mind off of the deaths of her friends in her traveling company. He was there for her when she broke down over the loss of Grayson. She missed him. Haldir spoke of many elves and men he had know that had died in battle, and that for a man, it was an honorable way to pass- protecting their loved ones from harm. Each day, she was getting better with the idea with death. She just hopped that Boromir would arrive there soon so that she could prevent what her visions kept telling her.

On her seventh day in Lothlórien, Haldir took her out with the archers to practice shooting targets. Haldir had seen her bow and it sparked his interest. It was a commonality that made her feel at ease with him. Day by day, her skill with the bow was getting better.

"Concentrate, Concentrate" Haldir coached.

She lined up her bow with the target and she closed one eye to get a better look at the center of the sand filled target set up fifty yards away. She drew the bow, and released it. With a hiss, the bow flew at the target and landed four inches out of the target center.

"Not bad, milady. But you should keep both eyes open. Become one with your surroundings and you can easily hit the target. Again" Haldir said.

Déorwyn nodded and drew another bow. Being coached by the archers of Lothlórien was a privilege. She took their advice, knowing she would never get it anywhere else. She aimed, and with both eyes open, she let the bow go. It flew through the air and landed precisely in the middle of the target.

"HALDIR! LOOK!!!" she rejoiced. She turned around only to see her Elvin companions silencing her, with their bows drawn. They had herd something.

"Stay here." Haldir commanded. She did.

Without any audible noises, they crept toward the noise. She couldn't see anything, but It sounded like a man, with a heavy accent. Within a second, all of the archers had their bows drawn and what seemed like a group of men. On of the men quickly motioned for the elves to drop their weapons- they were friends, not foe.

The shapes of the men were now becoming clearer as they came closer to where she stood. They were not all human race though- the man who relieved the tension was tall with dark hair and very scruffy. There was another elf- with long blond hair that resembled Haldir. Also with the company were a very obnoxious dwarf and four Halflings- hobbits. Bringing up the end of the group was another man-

"BOROMIR!!" Déorwyn exclaimed. She ran off toward him and jumped into him when she got to him. He lightly put his arm around her to support her and quickly snapped her off of him and put her on her feet. He looked at her, and sternly spoke.

"Déorwyn. What are you doing here." he was not the least happy to see her. his eyes were stone cold. He gripped her shoulders and lightly shook her. this was not the Boromir she had left in Osgiliath.

"Boromir, brother, I-" she began.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE FARAMIR AND THE PROTECTION OF THE WHITE CITY? TELL ME!!!!" he barked.

Tears were welling in her eyes. Boromir NEVER spoke to her this way. The other man in the group approached them and released Déorwyn from Boromir's tight grasp on her.

"Boromir! What has gotten into you! Release this woman!" He commanded. Boromir released her, and she shrank into the arms of the scruffy man. Haldir quickly was at her side and placed her behind his back. Tears were pouring down her cheeks now.

"We never should have come here, evil lurks in the shadows of this forest." Boromir said with anxiety dripping off his every word.

"You are in the realm of the Lady Galadriel now. There is no going back." Haldir stated firmly. The archers rounded the company and ushered them towards the center of the forest. There was a high tension during the walk. Déorwyn was positioned at the front of the pack, in front of Haldir. He kept an arm on her shoulder, both to comfort and protect her at the same time. Boromir was at the back of the group, with the scruffy human and the other elf holding him back. There was pure fury in his eyes and, for the life of her, Déorwyn could not figure out why.

Haldir spoke when they entered the center of the forest.

"The Lady Galadriel is waiting for you" he motioned toward the large tree house. As the group moved toward it, he continued, "Déorwyn, wait for us over by that fountain. We should not be long."

Déorwyn sat by the fountain for hours. She was getting very antsy - _we should not be long?_ She thought. _Elves and their concept of time; they can live forever so a few hours is mere minutes for them. _She laughed at her thought.

"What, may I ask, is so funny Lady Déorwyn?" a voice asked from behind her. Haldir stood there in the company of the scruffy man and the elf from the group.

"Finally! Please, Haldir. The next time you tell me you will not be long, permit me to grab some needle point to do while I wait!" Haldir smiled

"I will be sure to do so. Lady, this here is Aragon, son of Arathon." He jestered toward the scruffy man. He was tall, with brown hair. Haldir spoke again, " and this, is Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood."

"My Lords-" she said with a courtesy. "Welcome to Lothlórien."

Aragon took her hand, and placed a kiss on it. Legolas did the same. She blushed a bit, she had never been treated this formally before.

"my lady," Aragon began.

"Déorwyn, my lord." She corrected

"Déorwyn it is then- only if you call me Aragon."

"Its settled!" she said. " Forgive me for interrupting, Aragon, but you are the son of Arathon? As in heir to Gondor's throne Arathon? I hope I am not being to forward, but my brother, Faramir, taught me of the broken line of the kings of Gondor. You have been gone from the city forever! You are the rightful King of Gondor!" she said in amazement.

Aragon, Legolas and Haldir smiled.

"That is a story for another time, Déorwyn." Aragon said. "May I?" he motioned to sit next to her. she nodded. " Faramir, you say, is your brother. Now I see the connection. You are Boromir's younger sister, are you not?"

"I am." She said. Tears welled in her eyes again. " I do not know what has gotten into him, he left for Rivendell only weeks ago, and in that short time, his personality has changed completely."

"Why do you journey here, to Lothlórien, My Lady?" Legolas asked.

She looked at him and into his blue eyes and corrected him- "Déorwyn."

He smiled. "Why do you come to Lothlórien, Déorwyn?" he said, making sure to exaggerate her name.

"Well, a few weeks ago, I had a vision of Boromir dying in a battle with orcs. Faramir had a company of his men set out after Boromir to stop him. Against his wishes, I joined the company knowing that Boromir would listen to me over anyone else in Middle Earth. I guess now, though-" she trailed off. Tears fell out of her eyes, and she quickly motioned to clear them off.

Legolas motioned to hold her face in his hand. "Déorwyn," he spoke softly, " Boromir is under a spell. He is not strong enough to resist the powers of the ring. We, the fellowship, have vowed to protect the hobbit, Frodo, and show him the way to Mordor where he will destroy the ring."

"What can I do?" she asked, looking Legolas right in his eye.

"We have separated Boromir from Frodo, hoping that it will lessen its effect on him. When the time is right, we will let you see him." Legolas said. His eyes told the truth.

"Thank you Legolas, Aragon." She said and held the hands of the two men. Changing the subject, she wiped the remainder of tears form her eyes, and said with a smile, " Now, can I be permitted to meet the other members of the fellowship?"

Aragon said, "Of course. I know that the hobbits are more than interested in you, and you will find their company very relaxing."

" May I?" Legolas said, with his arm outreached to take her arm.

"Yes, you may." She said. And took his arm. Aragon led them to where the hobbits and dwarf sat. Boromir was nowhere in sight.

"Company, this is Lady Déorwyn of Gondor, and sister to Boromir. Déorwyn, these are the hobbits, Merry, Pippin, Frodo and Sam, and the Dwarf, Gimli, son of Gloin."

"How do you do?" she said with a slight courtesy and a smile.

Without a second, the two hobbits, Merry and Pippin came to her and began bombarding her with questions.

"Why hello there, my lady!" the younger hobbit, Pippin said. "Tell me, have you any sort of food? We have been on a journey for long now with nothing better than wild fruits and game to eat! I must say, I haven't even had a good smoke either, so if you had some leaf on you, I would be all too excited!" he said.

Merry looked at him in horror and kicked his leg. "Pippin! We have just met the lady, show manners!"

Déorwyn smiled. "That's alright, Master Merry. Master Pippin was only curious. Unfortunately my dear hobbit, I have neither food nor leaf. But," she kneeled down so that only Pippin could hear her, " I am well aware that the Queen will have anything made if it is asked for. I suggest you go and request something of the cook!"

"Right! Come on Merry, Sam, Frodo!" Pippin looked excited and rushed off to the area where food was being prepared. Sam and Frodo stayed. Frodo did not look cheerful at all. Had the ring had a negative effect on him as well?

Gimli called out after the two hobbits, " Bring Salted Pork!" to which Legolas turned up his nose and made a sound of disgust.

Déorwyn, Aragon, Legolas, Gimli, Sam and Frodo sat around in a circle, no one saying anything. A beautiful song was herd throughout the wood.

"What are they singing about?" Sam inquired.

"A Lament for Gandalf." Legolas answered. Déorwyn was confused. A lament for Gandalf?

"Gandalf! Where is he!?" Déorwyn cried. She then realized that since it was a lament, it meant that Gandalf had faded. She could not believe it. The fellowship each stared off into different directions. She swore she saw a tear come out of Frodo's eye.

"Déorwyn…" Aragon said as he put his hand over hers in comfort. She braced herself, though the tears were already beginning to form. " We were in the Mines of Moria, and he battled a Belrog. He sacrificed himself to the abyss below to save us. He meant something to you did he not?" he asked.

"He was a friend, as I am sure he was to you all. He was a tutor to me at one point, and when he came to Minas Tirath last, he hinted that my dreams would become reality. I am sorry, but this news has come as quite a shock to me, at a time when I do not need it." She said as she got up to leave the group to cry and mourn the loss of her friend. she ran off toward her quarters but Legolas caught up with her.

"Déorwyn, the pain is still near for us all. He was a friend and mentor to all the fellowship and our company has suffered a great loss."

"I am truly sorry, Legolas. This has been a horrid month for me. First, my Brothers leave for battle, then my company is ambushed by orcs and I saw my best friend slaughtered, then Boromir is how he is now, and then I hear of the news of Gandalf's passing. Forgive me but I wish to be alone." She begged.

"Déorwyn I believe the best thing is to be with the fellowship now. Company of friends will ease the pain. We will only talk of good things, of that you have my word. No talk of death or war." He pledged.

" The heaven's know I need friends now, Legolas. Thank you."

"Though we have just met, I feel as if we shall be great friends, Déorwyn." He said.

"Is foresight an Elvin power you possess?" she teased.

"Very funny, shall we rejoin the fellowship?" she agreed and they rejoined the circle.

When they got back there, Merry and Pippin had come back with plaits of food, mainly for themselves. Sam was talking of Gandalf's fireworks. Merry began speaking of how he and Pippin had stole some of them, and set them off in a tent and how Gandalf made them do all the dishes for the party.

They told stories through out the night. She even slept under the stars with them, with Pippin's head in her lap and Merry resting against her. It had seemed like here mere presence had an effect on the two hobbits for they treated her like a friend that they had known forever.

The next morning, dawn had only broken when Aragon gently woke her.

"Forgive me, Déorwyn, but Boromir has requested your presence." He spoke softly, as not wake the deep sleep of the hobbits piled on her. He moved them to another location and then proceeded to show her the way to Boromir.

When she saw him, he was sitting by a stream, his back turned to her. Aragon spoke again, softly, "I will be right here if you need anything. He has calmed down enough to see you, but be cautious, he is still possessed by his greed for the ring."

"Thank you." She said, and quietly approached her brother.

"Boromir." She spoke softly. He turned and looked at her with shame in his eyes.

"Oh my sister, how can you ever forgive me?" he said and went to her to embrace her. she stayed strong.

"Of course I forgive you, brother. And I hope that you can forgive me too, for journeying here against Faramir's wishes. I only wish to protect you." She confessed.

"What do you speak of, I am more than capable to look after myself." He said, having been offended by Déorwyn's wish to protect him.

"Boromir, I had a dream that you fell at the hands of Uruks. I told Faramir and he had a company of 10 soldiers set out to Rivendell to bring you back to Minas Tirath. I had our father's wish as well to bring you back, and he gave me permission to accompany the riders to get you." She confessed. " Boromir. Too may people have died that are close to me, and I could not bear it if I lost you as well. " She added.

Boromir looked at his sister with many emotions. He was moved by her concern for his well being, but livid that she had ridden out here unaccompanied to Lothlórien. Also, he was not happy that his own brother and father did not think he could accomplish this task. He would accomplish his task.

"Déorwyn, you must stay here until the war is over. It is safe, and I will not have to worry about you. You must not worry about me either. I am the captain of the armies of Gondor! I can handle the ushering of a hobbit into Mordor to destroy the ring."

"But, I saw you! You were shot by an Uruk's arrow! You cannot possibly think-"

"THAT IS FINAL." He screamed. Aragon appeared in the background. "You WILL stay here and I WILL send for you when the time is right. Do not disobey me, Morwen!"

She was shocked. He never took this name with her in this tone. Fearing he could get violent, she shook her head , agreeing to stay in Lothlórien. She hated being told to stay. She had to find another way to save her brother.

As she walked pass Aragon, he gave her a sympathetic look to her defeated one. As she walked pass him, she herd him say " Ready yourself, Boromir, we leave at noon."

Déorwyn thought. She had to stop Boromir form being killed. She would have to go after the fellowship after they departed. In fact, she had been there at the scene of his death. There was much to be done.


	6. The Forest

**The Forest**

_How am I going to get out of these woods with out having anyone notice? _She couldn't think of anything. She would just have to improvise. The woods of Lothlórien were still at rest, and she took this time to sneak into her room, gather her things, and sneak back down to where Chestnut was to ready him. She led him to the outskirts of the forest, where the fellowship would be leaving.

On her way back to the fellowship's camp, Haldir stopped her.

"Where have you been off to, Déorwyn?" he asked.

"Just went for a walk. I talked with Boromir this morning, and needed to clear my head." She said. She wished to tell him the whole truth, about her plans to go after the fellowship, but she knew he would stop her.

"I see," he said. "Lady Galadriel has requested that you join her as she bids farewell to the fellowship."

"I will be there" she added, and walked into the camp.

"Lady Déorwyn!" Pippin said. "The elves have provided us with eggs, bacon and toast! Would you care for any?" Sam was around a frying pan cooking up the eggs and bacon while Merry toasted the bread over a small fire.

"No thank you, Pippin." She said. She then remembered that leaving the woods of Lothlórien meant that she would not have a good meal for quite some time. She changed her mind as she looked at the feast that Sam was preparing. "Actually, Pippin, I wish not to insult Master Samwise on his fine cooking. Sam would you mind fixing me some breakfast. Gandalf always told me about the hospitality of hobbits."

"Yes, milady! It would be my honor!" Sam said with a twinkle in his eye.

Legolas, Aragon and Gimli laughed as the hobbits danced around the area preparing the meal.

Déorwyn saw a vacant seat next to Frodo, and she went over to talk to him.

"Good morning, Frodo." She said. He smiled and shifted away from her a bit. She can sense that he is uneasy around her because of her relation to Boromir. "Frodo, I mean no harm to you, nor the ring." She said lightly, " I wish the ring destroyed, and if it makes you at ease, I will leave this seat and find somewhere else to eat."

Frodo looked at her. He could tell that she was sincere. He felt bad for shifting away from her and moved back to his original seat. "I am sorry, Lady Déorwyn. Forgive me but I do not know who to trust now a days."

She took his hand gently. "I know it may not be much, but you can trust me. Know that I am going to try everything that I can to keep my brother from harming you."

Frodo nodded his head, and Sam brought them their plates over.

When they were done with breakfast, Déorwyn excused herself to ready for the farewell. She dressed in a simple dress, something that she could ride in. Haldir appeared at her door to escort her to the river.

She walked behind Lady Galadriel as she presented each of the fellowship with a gift from Lothlórien. She walked up to each of the members, and placed a small kiss on their cheeks. Aragon told her to be safe; Legolas said he hoped to see her soon. Gimli was too taken by the Queen that he couldn't even form words. She kissed each of the hobbits on their heads. When she got to Boromir, she hugged him, kissed him on the cheek and said for a last time, softly. "Boromir, please, do not go." She knew that it was no use. He just looked at her, kissed her on her forehead and proceeded to the boats.

She watched as the three boats bearing the fellowship floated down the river and out of her sight. It was time.

Déorwyn was antsy to get back so that she could slip away and leave Lothlórien, but the Lady Galadriel held her hand, motioning her to walk with her. She spoke through her mind.

_I know of your plans to follow them, Déorwyn_._ I cannot stop you. This is your destiny. Whatever is to come is your choice now. I no not if Boromir will fall or not, but I know this trip will bring you sorrow and great happiness. I have had your horse outfitted with some Lembas bread as well as a cloak to shield you from harm. Now, before Haldir can get to you, go my child, and be safe. _

Déorwyn couldn't believe her ears. She had no time to loose. She hugged the Queen and ran off toward Chestnut. She fastened the cloak around her, and bolted off, following the riverbed that the fellowship took.

She was traveling for three hours with no sign of any of the fellowship, or Uruk Hai. But she kept on riding.

The woods were silent. Too silent. She was in a forest somewhere she had never been before. All of the sudden, she herd a great horn blow.

_THE HORN OF GONDOR!_ She thought. She braced herself. She knew what was coming.

She dismounted Chestnut and raced after the horn, for it called two more times. As she approached the noise, she saw Boromir fighting of Uruk Hai.

Just then, a loud WHISP was herd. An arrow came flying by her, just missing her ear.

"DÉORWYN!!!" Boromir cried. She ran toward him, pulling out an arrow and her bow. As an Uruk charged toward her, he was caught off guard by a rock thrown at his head by one of the Hobbits. With his guard down, Déorwyn let an arrow go and it killed the Uruk.

Boromir looked on, happy that his sister had killed the monster. She could see in his eyes now. Something had happened and he looked like her brother again. As she breathed a sigh of relief, a thick, black arrow struck him as his back was turned.

Déorwyn cried out, but it was too late. Boromir was hit again, and again by arrows and kept on getting back up to protect his sister, Merry and Pippen. He finally succumbed. As she went to her brother, She was trampled by Uruk, and carried off with the two Hobbits. She looked back, screaming and kicking, to her brother, who lay lifeless on the ground, as Aragon was dueling the Uruk who had shot him. She passed out as she was carried on the back of an Uruk.

She did not wake up for hours. When she did, she was being carried through the land on the back of an Uruk. Merry was to her right and Pippin was to her left. They did not stop. They were heading fast somewhere, and she could only guess that it was Isenguard.

"Lady Déorwyn, Déorwyn! Déorwyn!" Pippin cried. "Merry! I think she's dead!"

"Déorwyn!" Merry Cried. "Please, he said to an Uruk, My friend, she's sick, she needs water!"

The Uruks all laughed, as one poured a hot, thick, disgusting concoction down her throat. She gagged and spat it out. The Uruk smashed her head against the armor of the Uruk she was carried on.

"PLEASE!" Pippin cried.

"STOP IT. We are to bring them to Sauruman unharmed and unspoiled. Now lets move" she passed out again from the blow, after mouthing "Thank you" to Pippin and Merry.

She woke up again on the ground five yards from the hobbits. She knew not where they were, only that they were on the outskirts of a forest, which made creaking noises as the wind blow through it.

The Uruks were fighting with each other about not having anything to eat, when one of them eyed Merry and began to rush toward his arm with his mouth open. He was thrown back by another Uruk and reminded of Sauruman's orders. A physical fight then broke out amongst the Uruks, and Déorwyn took this chance to crawl over to the hobbits.

"Come, we must make for the forest." She said hastily. And Uruk caught her trying to free them from their bonds and carried her over to the opposite side of the camp. It was the Uruk who had rushed after Merry's arm.

"Sauruman said nothing about human girls! What say we cook her for supper!" it said.

The fighting stopped as they all eyed her with hunger in their eyes.

"What say, we have our way with her first. Who wants first go!" she was the most frightened she had ever been before in her life. She instantly shut her legs and held them close together tight. The Uruks were around her trying to hold her down. She was wriggling and screaming at the top of her lungs. Merry and Pippin were fighting against their own bonds to get free and save her. Her head was caught in the hands of one Uruk as on head butted her with all of its might.

She blacked out again, but only after the Uruks loosened their hold on her, due to the storming of the camp by what looked like men upon monster-sized horses.


	7. The Rohirrim

**Hello all! Warning, this chapter is VERY AU, but stick with it! Your doing a great job! Thanks fro the reviews and subscribers!**

**The Rohirrim**

Déorwyn regained consciousness, but did not yet open her eyes- she felt very weak. Through her eyelids, she could see the sun beating down and she felt the wind blow across her skin. She guessed that she was atop of a horse; because she could hear hooves all around her- she was in some sort of large group. _How am I riding a horse? _She thought. She stirred a bit, and felt a hand go around her to steady her. She breathed in, it smelt musky and like the forest- in a good way. She curled into the smell and let it encompass her. She leaned her head against something hard- like metal. It was warm from the sun's rays. For the first time since she left Minas Tirath, she felt completely safe.

She was still somewhat delirious when she opened her eyes. She was sitting sidesaddle, cradled in the arms of a man. She moved her head on his armor to look at his face. He was hansom, and very rugged looking. His golden hair fell freely around his face. He looked Faramir's age, maybe 26.

"Who are you?" she said softly.

He looked down at her. He smiled at her as she looked into his golden brown eyes.

"I am Eomer, Nephew to the King of Rohan." He said. She stirred some more to sit up and look at him head on. "And you, Milady," he continued, "are of the high court of Gondor, I see" as he motioned to her necklace.

"I am Déorwyn, daughter of the Steward," she said.

"I see. Tell me, Lady Déorwyn, why would The Steward of Gondor allow his daughter to roam the Riddermark? It is not safe here. Surely he cares for his daughters safety?" He questioned.

"I wouldn't say that" she said coldly. Eomer looked puzzled and wished to know more, but her tone ended the conversation.

After a few silent moments he said, "We are going to stop in a few minutes once we reach that clearing ahead."

Déorwyn nodded and returned her head to Eomer's shoulder.

When they stopped, Eomer helped her off his horse. He introduced her to the rest of his riders. They were all in full armor, as if they were off to battle.

A breeze came down the clearing, sending shivers up her spine.

"You're cold" Eomer said.

"Yes, and this cloak is not doing much to keep the chill out." Déorwyn said as she motioned to her cloak. But it was not there. "My cloak! Its gone!" she cried.

"Forgive us, but the Uruks had a strong hold on it, and we had to cut you loose from it to save you. If it is alright with you, I can lend you my cloak until we can find a proper fitting one for you." Eomer said. Though he did ask the question, he didn't wait for a response. He went to his horse and grabbed his cloak and fastened it around Déorwyn before she had a second to protest.

She thought of the Uruks. She cringed as she felt their hands all over her and felt frightened for what they were going to do to her. Had it not been for Eomer and his riders, she and the hobbits would surely be dead by now.

"Thank you, Lord Eomer." She said. "Where are my friends, Merry and Pippin?" she asked.

He looked at her with confusion. "What friends, we only found you, milady."

"No, there were two hobbits with me. They are small- only the size of small children."

The men all looked at her puzzled.

"Lady Déorwyn, we did not see any hobbits, and we left none alive. We saw the Uruks around you and went into full ambush. We burned the carcasses." One of the men said.

She felt weak again. She collapsed to the ground and wept. The Rohirrim stared at her, not knowing what to do. Eomer went directly to her side.

Everyone she came into contact with and cared about was dying all around her. She feared for the worst for Faramir, Aragon and Legolas. She almost expected the three to be dead.

Eomer let her cry. He didn't say anything. He only motioned to on of his men to get her a glass of water. He wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her but he felt that too forward. He just let her cry, and he put a hand on her shoulder, as he would with any of his men who wept after a loss.

" Lady, I know we did not see any hobbits, but I know we did not kill any either." A soldier, Hama, said, "They are completely different, physically, than Uruks. They could have slipped away unnoticed."

Déorwyn looked at him, and then back and forth to different soldiers. They all shook their heads in agreement.

"Hama makes a valid point." Eomer said. "If you would like, I can dispatch some men to go back and check the area. It is not but two hours away and they will be back before nightfall. We can make camp here and proceed again in the morning."

"Forgive me, Rohirrim, but I feel like all I have been doing is weeping as of late. I have not properly thanked you for rescuing me. Eomer, I could not express enough gratitude if you were to scout out the area, if it is safe." Eomer shook his head and motioned for a few men to mount horses. "Thank you. I will help with setting up camp, I wish to not be such a burden."

With that, she took Eomer's arm to help balance herself as she got up. She steadied herself and went to collect firewood. Eomer had men set up tents and begin a fire. Other men went and began hunting for food.

The fire was crackling soon enough, and Déorwyn sat down and watched the flames flickering. She loved seeing the embers burn off the wood and fly like fireflies into the dusk lit sky. Eomer sat down, and began speaking with her.

"Lady, you never answered my question." He stated.

She cocked her head, knowing not of what he spoke. "And which question, my lord, would that be? And please, it's Déorwyn. I think we can be past formalities." She said with a flirtatious smile.

"Why would you be roaming the lands of Rohan with two hobbits, unescorted?" He sounded concerned. "The Riddermark is no place for such a company."

"Well, Lord Eomer-" she began.

"Eomer" he interrupted.

"What?"

"You said we were past formalities. Please, call me Eomer." He returned her smile with an equally flirtatious wink.

She felt herself blush a bit, but quickly moved past it. "Well, Eomer…" and she went on to tell him the entire story of her journey from Minas Tirath. She spoke of Osgiliath, Her vision, the journey, the first ambush, Lothlórien, the Fellowship, and the Ring of Power. She spoke of the forest and watching Boromir being pierced by arrows. She spoke of his bravery and courage. She was surprised when she did not break down again. She just looked at Eomer, who was staring down at her. She met his gaze and they held it for a moment. He broke it first.

He cleared his throat and said, " I am sorry for the pain that you have been through, Déorwyn, and I am sorry for making you re-live it again."

"Not at all. It was good for me to talk about it. I have been keeping everything inside and its good to just let it all out once in a while." She said.

By now, the other men joined them at the fire. There was still no sign of those who went out searching for the hobbits. They passed around some meat from a bird that they captured and some wild fruit and vegetables.

"So tell me, Déorwyn, what happened to the rest of the fellowship." Eomer asked.

"I am not quite sure. The last thing I can remember is Lord Aragon fighting of the Uruk who killed my brother. I saw Legolas and Gimli running down the hill. Frodo and Sam were no where in sight." She said, and continued, "but enough about me, tell me about you and the Rohirrim."

"I'm not sure you would want to hear. I am afraid it is noting like your story." He said, with his head hung.

"Eomer, I would hope you have not been through the hell that I have been through. That means that there is hope for good yet for me!" she said. He, and the other men gave a light laugh at her comment.

"Very well." He told her of Edoras, the Capital of Rohan, and King Théoden. He spoke of the spell the king was under and his council, Grima Wormtounge. He was informing the ill king of the Uruk ambushes all over Rohan, and was banished from Rohan by Grima for "war mongering". He feared leaving his sister, Eowyn, with the wandering eye of Grima. He had assembled the finest Rohirrim to travel to Isenguard to destroy the White Wizard Sauruman.

Déorwyn liked hearing him talk. He spoke with such passion that it made her forget her own troubles. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even hear him speaking her name to get her attention. She snapped out of it.

"Déorwyn!" Eomer shouted a bit with laughter in his voice. "Were you even paying any attention to me?" he laughed.

"Of course Eomer! I was just thinking of being banished from Minas Tirath and what it must feel like. It must be terrible!" she said sincerely.

"Its not that bad" he returned. " I just fear for the safety of my sister. Although she is tough, and could probably take on a coven of orcs herself, I fear that she will be defenseless without me or my cousin Theodred to protect her." The camp fell silent.

After a few moments, Eomer spoke again, "if it is not a lot to ask, may I inquire as to why your father, the Steward of Gondor, allowed his only daughter to journey through Middle Earth? Is he not aware of the terrors which stand between safe points?"

"lets leave this conversation at NO, he does not know nor care about the terrors of Middle Earth. He cares only for the safety and triumph of Boromir. But let me not trouble you with family issues, my friend. it is a long story, and I wish not to tell it on a night like this." She yawned. "I regret to inform you all that it is time for me to retire. I fell like I will find a nice tree to sleep under tonight and-" she said, but Eomer cut her off.

"Nonsense! I will not have a Lady of Gondor sleeping under a tree when my tent is vacant. I will be on watch all night so it is pointless for the room to go to waste"

Déorwyn was taken aback by his suggestion. Had it been Faramir, Aragon or Legolas, she would have freely accepted their offer to let her sleep in their tents, for Faramir was her brother, and Aragon and Legolas were pretty much that as well. There was something about Eomer that put him in a different category. He could have a conversation with her and let her respond. He was not trying to teach her things or chastise her for the things she did wrong. He was passionate, kind, strong and handsome and she could not possibly spend the night in his tent- regardless of him not even being in the tent.

"Thank you, milord, but I would much rather sleep under the stars." She said, trying to calm her feelings toward him.

"As you wish, Déorwyn. But allow me to grab some blankets from my tent to cushion and warm you."

"Eomer, you have done much for me! Please, have one of your other men stay in your tent with you accommodations. I shall be fine!" she argued a bit. Her stubborn side was coming out.

"But there is a chill in the air, at least put on my cloak again to provide some sort of comfort." He offered. He sensed that she was stubborn, and let his own show through a bit.

"Fine." She conceded. " But, you can't keep offering me your cloak when you have noting to wear!" she fought again. She liked this playful arguing with him. It made everything more relaxed at the campsite. The other men were laughing at the two quarrel.

"Oh yes I can! And besides, I have many more back at Edoras!" he said as a matter-of-factly.

She couldn't resist, " I thought you said you were banished from Edoras and Rohan." She said playfully as she slapped her ridding gloves against his shoulder. The men were roaring with laughter but stopped when Eomer shot them a look.

He thought hard for a second, and his face frowned when he could not come up with a comeback for that. " You are right, Déorwyn. But I still wish you to wear it. It will keep you warm and besides, I have my armor and barely wear the cloak. Ill tell you what, you can wear it until I return to Edoras and you can find a more fitting one. Deal?"

"Deal." She said, as she went to go pick out a place to rest for the night. She was almost about to slip into sleep when she herd heavy hooves on the ground and a man shouting:

"Lord Eomer! Lord Eomer!"

Déorwyn rose and went to the camp to find out what the matter was. The men had returned form the outing, but not alone. They had four extra riders with them. She could not make out whom they were until she hey got closer, and she could not believe her eyes. There on three extra horses were Gimli, Legolas and Aragon as well as a man all in white upon his trusty white Steed-

"GANDALF!!!!!" she screamed, as she ran toward him. She practically knocked over Eomer to jump on Gandalf as he dismounted. He turned, and embraced her smiling and laughing. "Gandalf, I knew you were not dead. When Aragon told me of the Belrog, I knew it couldn't be true!" She hugged him again. She then turned to see Eomer with the Rohirrim. She remembered her manners and said, " Lord Eomer, Riders of Rohan, This is my old wizard friend, Gandalf the Gray!"

"Ah, my child, Gandalf the White." Gandalf said quite proudly. "Long story short, after the incident with the Belrog, I returned with the power equal to that of Sauruman." She smiled. She had missed her old friend.

"Yes, Gandalf the White. And may I not forget my other friends, Aragon, son of Arathon, Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood, and Gimli, son of Gloin. They are my friends from the Fellowship!" having not forgotten them, she launched herself over to them and embraced them in a huge hug. Tears of joy were pouring down her face.

"I'm sorry! I feel as if all I do now is cry!" She said, evoking a laugh from the group of men.

They made their way back to the camp and talked long about the journeys they had taken, Eomer and the Rohirrim's banishment, and the troubles in both Rohan and Gondor that awaited them. Déorwyn learned that Frodo and Sam had left the fellowship in pursuit of Mordor to destroy the ring. The others were to go and raise awareness of the wars and the need for men.

"But what of Merry and Pippin, Gandalf?" she said. The other riders of Rohan, including Eomer, were all concerned.

"They fair well. They escaped into the woods of Fanghorn and are being looked after by the Ents. They are quite safe." He said, taking a puff from his pipe. "it is getting rather late, or early I should say. Déorwyn, child, take rest for we ride to Edoras tomorrow morning."

Déorwyn looked to Eomer. _Will this be the last time I see him? _She thought. _He certainly cannot go back to Edoras and face certain death for breaking banishment. _She though. "Gandalf, is there anything you could do for the fate of my new friends?"

"Why of course, they are coming with us! I believe I have the power to rid Théoden of his curse. Eomer, muster the men!" Gandalf said. Déorwyn couldn't help but smile.

"Rohirrim!" Eomer announced, "ready yourselves, for tomorrow, we ride for Edoras!" a cheer erupted amongst the Rohirrim and Eomer looked back to Déorwyn and smiled.


	8. Edoras

**Sorry everyone for the late update! My Internet was down for the weekend, so that means one thing… all the time I would have spent online I spent on the story! Long chapter!! Enjoy!**

**Edoras**

It was early when Aragon nudged Déorwyn to rise. She had fallen asleep against him around the fire the night before, with Eomer's cloak around her as a blanket. He did not have the heart to wake her, so he let her rest on him. Gandalf had taken rest against a tree; Legolas was keeping watch, for he didn't need much rest. Gimli took Eomer's tent, and Eomer stayed with Aragon and Déorwyn around the fire.

"Déorwyn," Aragon said softly, "You must rise, and we shall be leaving for Edoras momentarily. Ready yourself for the ride."

She nodded, groggily, and got up to gather herself. She assisted the men taking down the few tents and helped ready the horses. She would every now and then glance over to Eomer, and saw him hastily preparing for the trip back to Edoras. He seemed tense, and she gathered that it was probably due to the fact he would be returning to where he was banished. She felt herself staring, only to be interrupted by Hama.

"My Lady Déorwyn, we have an extra steed, and if you are capable, we will ready him for you to ride" He said.

"Thank You, Hama, I would love to ride. Is that him over there?" she pointed to a gray horse hitched up to a tree. Hama nodded and Déorwyn went in the direction to get acquainted with him.

He had a gorgeous black mane and tail and was mounted with a black leather saddle and reigns. When Déorwyn went to pet him, the horse didn't back away or protest to her touch. It neighed at her softly and moved its head into her touch. Déorwyn was so into getting acquainted with the horse, she didn't hear someone sneak up on her.

"He likes you," a deep voice pointed out.

Déorwyn jumped. She turned around and saw Eomer there. He handed her a cup of tea and went to pat the horse. " This is Brego." he pointed out, "He came to Edoras three years ago after being found roaming the Fanghorn all by himself. My cousin, Theodred used to ride him before he died, he is a good horse. But you plan on riding by yourself all the way to Edoras?"

She looked at Eomer. _Does he not remember that I rode from Minas Tirath to Lothlórien all by myself?_ She thought.

He sensed her confusion and continued, "Forgive me, but I only thought that you would ride with me," he said. She blushed. Eomer realized what he had sand and quickly added, "Aragon, Legolas or Gandalf." He began fidgeting with Brego's saddle and did everything to avoid eye contact with her. She could swear she saw him blush little bit too.

She tried not to let her laughter show through her speech as she said, "Eomer, thank you for the offer, but I am quite capable to ride on my own. It will give me a better chance to see the Riddermark if I am riding." She said. Truthfully, a part of her wanted to ride with Eomer. She felt so at peace with his scent surrounding her and safe in his arms. She denied his offer only because of these feelings. They were new to her and she did not know how to deal with them. She never had felt any emotions toward a man other than brotherly love or friendship. Although she felt friendship toward Eomer, she felt herself growing fond of the marshal.

"As you wish," he said, as he finished fastening the saddle to Brego. He gave her a smile and went to ready his own horse, Firefoot.

She called to him, as he walked away, "Eomer, you cloak! Since you are returning to Edoras, I will not need it anymore." She went to hand him his cloak.

"We are not there yet, my friend. You must use it for the ride!" he insisted and continued to his horse.

"Thank you," she said, not sure if he herd her or not. Déorwyn wrapped it around her and fastened it, she pulled it close and breathed in his scent.

Aragon, Legolas, and Gimli were looking at this exchange from the opposite side of the camp, happy to see their friend getting along so well with the Third Marshall of the Riddermark.

The company departed the camp soon after when the sun was just appearing in the sky. They rode west with the destination of Edoras. Déorwyn was taking in the countryside of Rohan. The grassy hills stretched as far as her eyes could see. The terrain was rough, with rocks jutting out of the land. It made it hard to ride full gallop in some areas, so at points they slowed down to a trot. Whenever they were going over a hill, Déorwyn would look toward the horizon and the breath taking views of the snowy mountain range. At times, she could see small buildings on the mountains.

"Gandalf, that is the fourth building I have seen, what is it for?" Déorwyn asked the wizard.

'Those are the beacons of Gondor. You may recognize them, as the first beacon is located in the White City. If Gondor is ever in need of aid from Rohan, the beacons are set afire and Rohan will decide whether to answer or not. It works the other way around too." He said.

She nodded and went back to taking in the land. An hour or so into the ride, Eomer pulled up next to her.

"Hello" he said.

" Hello, Eomer,"

"How is Brenga riding for you? Hopefully to your liking?"

"Aye, you were right, he is a fine horse!" she said. He smiled.

"Glad to hear it."

"And how are you? You seemed tense at the camp this morning" She asked.

"Its nothing really, I worry what will happen to my men if this does not go well." He said.

She knew what he meant. If Gandalf were unable to save the king, Eomer would most likely be imprisoned or killed for breaking the banishment. His riders could possibly suffer the same fate. She looked at his face, and saw his troubles written all over it. With the arm that was not holding the reins, she reached out to him and put her hand on his arm.

"Eomer, you mustn't dwell on this idea at this moment. Gandalf knows he can help your uncle, otherwise, he would not put you in danger." She said sincerely.

Once again, they found themselves looking into each other's eyes. Déorwyn was the first to break away, remembering where she was, whom she was with, and whose arm her hand was on. She hoped Gandalf didn't see her.

They rode in silence for a few moments before Déorwyn asked, "Eomer, tell me of growing up in this beautiful country. It seems so peaceful, very different from growing up in Gondor I would believe."

"I would assume so," he said, " although it did get boring at times, I don't think I would have traded my childhood. I would always go out riding with my father, uncle and cousin and they would teach Theodred and me how to use a sword and spear. Sometimes, my sister, Eowyn would follow us, and after our father reprimanded her a bit for following, he would let her spar a bit with us." He paused for a moment.

"Go on," Déorwyn told him, wanting to know more about him.

"After my parents died, and we moved to Edoras to live with my uncle, Eowyn would go out to the practice yards and spar with anyone willing. She got quite good and even beat some of the men. Though now, she begs our uncle, the king, to join the army as a shield maiden, which troubles me."

"You wish her not to go to battle, not to be in harms way." She said.

"Yes" he said.

"Maybe, Eomer, she only wishes to protect the ones she loves. Though I have no desire to be in any sort of battle, I was trained in archery, in both exhibition and battle forms. I have only used my skills to protect. Maybe her only intention is to be there for her brother if he ever needed any help. I can only say this from expeierience." She said, trailing off.

"Déorwyn, we don't have to talk about this, I know it must be hard for you." Eomer said.

"Thank you, my friend, I would like to at some point tell you all about Boromir, and all the good that he had done, but right now, it's just too soon."

"I understand." He said. They again found themselves in a comfortable silence. Eomer then continued, "Excuse me, but I should return to the front of the group. We are close to Edoras and I want to find a place to stop to prepare for our entrance to the city. If it is alright with you, I would like to continue this conversation when we are in and settled at Medulseld. I wish to hear of your childhood and Minas Tirath."

"Of course." She said with a smile. They shared another glance, and he made for the front of the pack.

Déorwyn was now at the back of the group- Legolas, with Gimli behind him, and Aragon pulled up on their horses on either side of her smirking.

"He likes you!" Gimli blurted out with his heavy accent.

"What?" she said, looking back and forth to each of her friends.

"And, Lassie, it seems someone is quite taken with the young Lord Eomer!" Gimli stated boldly.

She looked at Legolas and Aragon who both were smiling very wide. She knew Gimli meant her.

" If it is I you are speaking of, Master Gimli, I will have you know that Lord Eomer and I are just friends. He and the Rohirrim rescued me from the Uruks and I find it easy to talk with him." She said a- matter-of-factly.

"He is a good man, little one, don't feel it necessary to hid your feelings. Be honest with yourself and you will find happiness." Aragon said.

"Thank you, Aragon, I will be sure to remember your advice, but really, we are just friends."

"If that is what you say, Déorwyn, then I shall believe it, " Legolas said, but with laughter.

When they made it over another hill, the city of Edoras was now coming into view. It was breathtaking. It sat upon a hill in front of the range of snowy mountains. It was very small, only about twelve buildings. Déorwyn could not help think that this was perfect. _If I were Eomer, I wouldn't trade this for the White City either._ She thought.

They stopped for a brief moment before going down the hill to plan the entrance. Eomer and his men could not simply ride into Edoras. Gandalf decided the best thing to do was for him, Aragon, Legolas, Gimli and Déorwyn to ride into the city as travelers, and hopefully cure the king. The Rohirrim would be summoned after the banishment was revoked.

"I better give this back to you, to not give our story away" Déorwyn said to Eomer as she handed him is cloak. " I thank you, once again, for the comfort it has provided me."

"It has been my pleasure. I do ask that you be careful inside the hall of Medulseld. We shall be there in no time." He told of her. She nodded and led her horse toward Gandalf, who was leading the ride into the city.

"Don't worry, Lord Eomer," Aragon said, when Déorwyn was out of earshot, " She is in good hands."

Eomer nodded and watched as the four horses set off for the City of Edoras.

When they entered the gates of Edoras, Déorwyn instantly felt a tension in the air. People were coming out of their houses to catch a glance at the four and whispers began as they passed by.

They dismounted, and walked up the stairs to Medulseld, only to be met by a guard of soldiers, heavily armed. One man commanded that, by the order of Grima Wormtounge, they were to hand over all weapons before entry. Legolas, Gimli and Aragon handed over what seemed like endless amounts of swords, daggers, throwing knives, bows and arrows. The man looked at Déorwyn, and she handed over her own bow and arrow.

"Your Staff," the man said to Gandalf.

"You would not part an old man from his walking stick?" he replied.

The soldier allowed Gandalf to keep his staff, and in they went.

Inside the hall was very dark. All the windows had been shut and covered over. Only candles behind the thrown were lit, as well as a small fire in the center of the room. The five walked up to the thrown where an old, decrepit king sat, hunched over. A greasy, pale man sat at his side, muttering into his ear. _This must be Grima,_ Déorwyn thought. He was nastier than she pictured from Eomer's description. She then looked around, hoping to figure out who Eowyn was, but there were no women present.

"What business do you have here, Gandalf Greyhim?" The king asked. He sounded week and looked as if he were on his deathbed.

" You have no business here Sauruman! Leave this man at once! What do you benefit from being in Rohan!" Gandalf demanded. Déorwyn thought it odd that he addressed King Théoden as Sauruman, but she did not speak.

"I will have Rohan, Théoden's kingdom will be mine!" The king answered, this time, sounding like a completely different person.

"Leave this man, I command!"

"If I Leave, Théoden dies! What good can you do for him Gandalf the Grey?" the king spat out.

Gandalf, in a fit of fury, whipped off his grey cloak to reveal his brilliant white robes. His staff began to glow as he spoke a spell over the king.

"I TOLD YOU TO TAKE THE WIZARD's STAFF!" Grima yelled. The soldiers came rushing toward them and at Gandalf. Legolas, Gimli and Aragon fought them off as Gandalf spoke his words.

Grima charged for Gandalf, but Déorwyn tripped him and Gimli secured him by the neck on the ground under his boot. A familiar looking woman rushed into the hall, and ran for the thrown to help the king, but Aragon stopped her.

Just then, within an instant, Gandalf stopped speaking and the king began to transform from the old, decrepit man to a younger, livelier version. Aragon let go of the woman he was holding back, and she rushed to the King's side.

"I know your face," he said, "Eowyn!" He pulled her into an embrace. She was beautiful. Déorwyn recognized many of Eomer's features in her- the golden hair being the main one.

King Théoden scanned the room of his subjects. They all bowed to him, including the five visitors. "Where is Theodred? Where is Eomer?" he asked.

"My lord, Theodred was slain in battle. He was buried not a fortnight ago. And my brother has been banished from the kingdom of Rohan by penalty of death." Eowyn told the king.

The king looked in sorrow at his niece. " By whose orders?" he said grimly.

"Grima." Was all Eowyn could get out before Théoden charged after Grima, who had been slipping away each moment. Théoden chased Grima outside and caught up with him in time to kick him down the stone stairs leading up to Medulseld. He was about to raise his sword to finish him when Aragon stopped him. He whispered something to him and it made Théoden lower his sword. Grima took this opportunity to rush to the stables and out of the city.

"Besides," Aragon continued "Lord Eomer and his band of Rohirrim are just over that hill, waiting for his banishment to be revoked. They look for our signal."

"Then signal them!" Théoden said.

Gimli went and waved the flag of Edoras back and forth, signaling to Eomer to return. Within what seemed like ten seconds, Eomer and his Rohirrim were seen charging down the hill, heading strait for Edoras.

The Rohirrim arrived into the gates of Edoras to cheers from the villagers. They were excited to see their king restored to a healthy state, and to have their men back.

Eomer led his men up to the king, and said, very strongly, "My Lord, King Théoden. The Rohirrim of the Third Mark are at your service!"

The crowd of people that had formed cheered for the Rohirrim. Déorwyn could not help but think how handsome he looked when he was in soldier mode.

The king looked at his nephew with the pride of a father. Eomer dismounted Firefoot and went to embrace his king and uncle. "Dispatch your men to their families, my nephew, they have been through much." The King said.

"Rohirrim! To your families!" Eomer commanded. His men could not move quicker. They ran over to their families. Women and children rushed to their fathers, husbands, sons and brothers.

Eomer himself hugged his uncle again and went to his sister and hugged her and kissed her on the forehead. As Déorwyn witnessed this, she felt herself go weak. Her thoughts went to one place- Boromir and Faramir.

Faramir was still alive, but she missed him terribly. Although her new friends were providing comfort and support, she needed her big brother. She needed to know that he was not angry with her for leaving. She needed him to place a kiss on her forehead. Now, he was in Osgiliath defending what could, at any moment, be overtaken by Mordor. She would not let her thoughts go to that dark place where she saw her vision of Boromir.

Boromir, on the other hand, was gone. She knew this. There was no bringing him back. Over the past couple of days, she hadn't had much time to think about him. What she found surprising is that she didn't place fault on herself, or anyone for that matter. As Gandalf had said, everything happens for a reason. Boromir was meant to die, Déorwyn was meant to follow him and meet all these interesting beings.

This still did not prevent the feelings she got when she saw Eomer and Eowyn together. She missed being with her brothers. Tears began to stir within her when she felt an arm on her shoulder. Aragon turned her to him and whispered, "I am here for you, little one" into her ear. She smiled and hugged him. Regardless of the fact that she met him but a week ago, he was the closest thing to a brother she had these days. "Now come, I believe Lord Eomer has someone he wishes you to meet" he continued and led her to where Eomer was.

Eomer looked up and saw her approaching. He got Eowyn's attention and motioned her toward Aragon and Déorwyn. She was holding Déorwyn's bow.

"Ah, Déorwyn! I was looking for you! I wanted to introduce you to my sister, Lady Eowyn!" Eomer said enthusiastically.

"A pleasure to meet you, Lady Eowyn, Lord Eomer has told me much of you. I am, "

"Déorwyn, daughter of the Steward of Gondor, yes, Eomer just told me about you! He also told me of your pact to not use formalities and I hope you will involve me in that as well!" she said with a smile.

"Of course!" Déorwyn replied. She felt like she was going to get along just fine with Eowyn.

"You must forgive me, I was taking this bow to whom I thought it belonged to, the elf, Legolas, but he informed me that it was yours. Tell me, Déorwyn, are you a shield maiden of Gondor?" Eowyn asked. Déorwyn looked right to Eomer, who rolled his eyes.

"No, Eowyn, I am not. My brothers taught me archery growing up, and I usually take it out with me riding just incase. When I was in Lothlórien, the Captain of the archers, Haldir, taught me the Elvin ways of the art." She replied.

"So, you don't wish to go to battle?" Eowyn asked. She was very forward.

"Enough of this talk, sister!" Eomer interrupted lightly. "Our new friends have just got here! Let them rest and we can talk over dinner!"

"Of course! Of Course! Déorwyn, allow me to escort you to my quarters, you can bunk with me for the night until we get a suitable room ready for you! You must want to change out of those dirty clothes and bathe before dinner?"

"Gods yes! I haven't had a proper bath in weeks!" Déorwyn blurted out. She instantly regretted saying this, for Aragon and Eomer both turned red a little bit.

"Then it is settled then! My brother, Lord Aragon, please excuse Déorwyn and I as we ready ourselves for dinner tonight!" Eowyn said, as if she didn't ever hear Déorwyn's blurt about not bathing for weeks.

"Of course, until tonight," Eomer said. Eowyn then grabbed Déorwyn's arm and led her up the stairs, into the hall and toward her quarters.

A bath was already drawn when she got there. Eowyn practically threw her into it. "I must go find something suitable for you to wear tonight!" she said.

"Please, Eowyn, don't fuss over me! I can just wear what I wore-" Déorwyn began.

"Nonsense! What you wore here was ripped and tattered. I have many dresses you can borrow or have! Besides, it has been long since we have had a lady stay at Medulseld, let me dote upon you for a bit!"

Déorwyn attempted to protest again, but was silenced. Eowyn left the room and waited for Déorwyn to finish her bath. When she got out and dried herself, she dressed in a simple long slip before going into the bedroom were Eowyn had laid a beautiful deep blue dress out for her. It had very simple silver embroidery on the sleeves and around the waist. Deep Blue and Silver- the colors of Gondor.

"I saw this and instantly knew you had to wear it! It had been my mothers; she received it when she visited Gondor before I was born. It never looked right on me, but I have a feeling you will look beautiful! Put it on!"

Déorwyn obeyed and slipped the dress over her head and into place. She looked in the mirror and couldn't believe what she saw. Her pale skin, now clean, looked flawless against the deep blue of the dress. Eowyn took the front sections of her had and pulled it back, twisting it into a knot. The rest of her hair cascaded down around her shoulders.

"Aha I was right! Now let me get ready and we can proceed to the hall for dinner!"

Eowyn readied herself in a green and maroon dress and pulled her hair back and braided it. She looked beautiful as well.

Eowyn led Déorwyn out of the quarters and into the hallway, running right into someone- Eomer.

"Brother! Are you on your way to dinner?" Eowyn asked.

"I am, my sister." He replied.

"Would you mind escorting Déorwyn to the hall? I must run and grab something from the kitchens before dinner." Eowyn asked.

Déorwyn looked in horror for a minute. _It is only Eomer._ She thought. _ Just breathe, don't think of how dashing he looks right now._

Eomer did look rather dashing. His hair was pulled back a bit, in its normal way, but he was dressed in a long tunic and breeches tucked into his boots. She liked the way he looked in his armor, but she was beginning to like this side of Eomer better.

"As you wish, my sister." Eomer responded calmly. His heart was beating fast too.

Eowyn left them, leaving them alone in the hallway. He couldn't hold his tongue any longer. "You look beautiful" He said staring at her. Now that the dirt and grime was washed away from her skin, it illuminated in the dark. The dress fitted her perfectly.

Her eyes opened wide. No one, save her brothers, had ever called her beautiful before. Just by him saying that it made her feel beautiful. She struggled for a minute, not sure of what to say to him. "Thank you, Eomer. It's nice to see you in something other than armor too." She said, aware that she was probably the shade of an apple by now.

"You know, it is rather hard to eat and drink and do a lot of things when in full armor." He said, rather flirtatiously too.

"Of course" she responded with the same tone. If there was one thing she liked about Eomer, it was his ability to make things not seem awkward. When he said that she was beautiful, he meant it. He did not try to hide it afterward.

"Shall we then? I believe you still have yet to meet my uncle." He stated as he held out his arm for her to take. She accepted it, and together, they walked through the halls of Medulseld. Eomer would point out little things along the way- tapestries, rooms- giving her a bit of a history lesson.

They reached the great hall, and inside everyone was already there, including Eowyn._ Did she plan on leaving us so that we could walk in alone?_ She thought. _I will have to talk to her about that later!_

They approached the thrown, and King Théoden rose to greet them.

"My King, may I present to you Lady Déorwyn, daughter of Denethor, the Steward of Gondor."

Déorwyn curtsied. "Finally," Théoden started, "an ambassador from Gondor that I do not want to instantly throw out of Medulseld!" chuckles from the hall emerged. "Forgive me, Lady Déorwyn, but your father and I do not have the best of relationships."

"That makes two of us." Déorwyn replied quietly, receiving a smile from the King.

"It looks like you are going to fit in just fine here in Rohan! Now come! Let us eat!"

With that, Eomer led Déorwyn to a table where Aragon, Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf sat. He left, only to return with a plate of food for Déorwyn with a glass of wine.

"Thank you, Eomer." She said.

"You are welcome." He replied. He then went to take his seat next to his uncle.

The night went by very fast. It seemed the whole of Edoras was in the hall, drinking and having a good time with their families. Her table ate mostly in silence. She sat there with the four members of the fellowship and wondered what they were going to do next. Frodo and Sam were off to Mordor while Pippin and Merry were in the Fanghorn Forest with the tree people. Would they go after either party?

She thought about her brother, and how he had succumbed to the ring.

"Forgive me, my friends, if this is a depressing topic, but could you tell me of Boromir in his last days?" she said, strongly.

It was an odd way to break the silence, she knew that. Aragon, Legolas and Gimli looked at her, surprised she would even ask the question. Gandalf responded.

"My child, you brother was overcome with so much grief and want of the ring. He wanted it for your father, and to help the people of Gondor. He became obsessed with it, without even touching it. Once he joined the fellowship, he began to realize that maybe it should be destroyed. Maybe there were other ways of rebuilding Gondor. He was very cheerful for a while. Genuinely Boromir. He even spoke of you many times and how he missed you and Faramir. But day-by-day, he began to fall for the ring. I feared that when I left the fellowship to battle the Belrog, I had left Frodo unprotected against Boromir. I then knew that I left him with the protection of seven others if Boromir ever threatened him."

"As he lay dying, he spoke only of two things." Aragon continued. "His fault of falling to the powers of the ring, and his grief over the way he had treated you. He loved you, Déorwyn. Don't remember him as you saw him in Lothlórien. That was not your brother. Remember him as your Boromir." He said as he put a hand over her in comfort.

Déorwyn excused herself and left the hall to go to the stables. They let her go, knowing that she just wanted to be alone for a few moments. As she walked, she thought of the good times she had with Boromir. She felt she was finally ready to let him go.

Déorwyn reached the stables and went into Brego's stall. She brushed his main and coat.

"I thought I would find you here." A voice spoke from behind her. She turned to see the smiling face of Eomer.

"Forgive me for leaving, but I just needed to be alone for a moment." She said.

Eomer nodded and turned to leave, but she grabbed his arm as he left.

"I didn't say you had to leave. Anyway, we can continue our conversation from earlier, if you want." She did not even realize how forward she was being. He didn't seem to mind either. He sat down on a barrel in Brego's stall as Déorwyn brushed the horse's coat.

"There was one thing I wanted to ask you." Eomer said. " You said to my uncle earlier, 'that makes two of us' when talking about your father. Certainly you have a good relationship with him?" he asked.

She really didn't think this was going to begin with such a heavy topic, but she answered his question. "Its very simple really. My mother died giving birth to me. My father blamed me and looks at me as a curse. Had it not been for my brothers, I would have been cast out of Minas Tirath to grow up in an orphanage who knows where." She said.

He looked in shock. "That is ludicrous! Women die in childbirth all the time! This just verifies that Denethor is literally crazy. My uncle spoke of it for a long time. But now I can believe it. He would never come to Rohan's aid but sends for more troops from us."

"I can't agree with you more, Eomer. He was never a father figure to either of my brothers as well. He was always giving orders and my brothers would carry them out. Boromir was his favorite. If it weren't for Faramir I would probably never return to Minas Tirath."

"You would always have a home here in Edoras." He replied.

"That is very sweet of you, Eomer." She said. Yet again, they shared a comfortable silence. Déorwyn went back to grooming Brego, and Eomer just sat and watched her.

"So, I have told you about my growing up, what of yours? All I know is that you are the daughter of the Steward of Gondor, but your brothers, who you care deeply for, raised you. How is life in the White City different from Edoras?"

This got her talking. She told him almost everything about herself, and he just sat there and listened. He loved hearing her talk. She was funny and exuberant. She talked, and talked for a long time. She was telling him stories of Boromir making up excuses so that she could skip out her lessons and go riding with him- Faramir would be upset and would yell at Boromir and he would yell back. They would argue about what is best for her. Déorwyn would calm them down and soon, they will all laugh and forget it happened.

Déorwyn finished her stories, and said lightly, " I miss them."

"You will see Faramir soon enough. When it is safe to travel, I will see to it personally that you are escorted to Minas Tirath."

"Eomer, you have done so much for me already. I couldn't ask you to-"

"Nonsense, it will give me a chance to see the city too. It will be an adventure!"

Déorwyn laughed. Eomer got up and helped her take off Brego's saddle and reigns. He looked at her for a second and then proceeded to ask her another question.

"So, is there anyone waiting for you in Minas Tirath?" he asked looking down at the ground.

"What do you mean?" she asked, coming over to his side of Brego to unfasten a buckle.

"I mean, are you betrothed- promised to anyone?"

"No I am not," he lifted his head. She sensed where this was going, and she let it go on. "although, before I left, my best friend Grayson proposed marriage to me, but I declined."

"And why did you do that?" Eomer asked, interested, yet happy to hear the answer.

She was hesitant to answer, and thought for a minute about making up a reason, but decided to be forward to tell him the truth. "I didn't love him." She said, and stared Eomer right in the eyes.

Eomer closed the gap between them slowly. " And you would rather marry for love before country?" he said as he took her hands in his.

Her heart was beating like a war drum. She was sure he heard it. "Yes" she responded.

Slowly, Eomer lowered his head to hers and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Her head was spinning. She had never been kissed like this before, and she liked it.

She felt like they had stayed like that for hours, but it was only a couple of seconds. She broke the kiss to look at him.

She was speechless. He was speechless.

Eomer let go of her hands, backed away from her. He didn't know how to follow up to kiss. He didn't know how she felt. He didn't know if she felt the same way. "I'm sorry" he said and briskly left the stables.

Déorwyn stood there, as light as air and disoriented. Why had he left and apologized for kissing her?

She left the stables after him, but found him nowhere. She went into Medulseld and to Eowyn's quarters. She found her there sleeping. Déorwyn undressed, threw on the nightgown Eowyn put out for her and climbed into bed to fall asleep. Her lips still tingled as she thought about Eomer.


	9. Helms Deep

**Helms Deep**

Déorwyn woke the next morning alone. Eowyn was not there. She heard craziness going on outside and got out of bed to see what had happened. She threw on a robe and made her way out into the hall. There was no one there. She peered through a window and saw the whole of Edoras franticly moving to and fro, packing up their houses.

She made her way to the hall and saw Aragon, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Eowyn and Eomer standing around King Théoden's thrown. They didn't notice her come into the room.

"What is going on?" Déorwyn asked.

Everyone turned to look at her. her eyes instantly went to Eomer's and he met her gaze. She looked away when Aragon spoke.

"I was just about to go wake you, little one. Wild Men have begun to attack villages and are making their way to Edoras. King Théoden has mandated that everyone evacuate and make their way to Helm Deep in order to be protected from attacks. I'm sorry that I can not offer any more details, we must make haste and prepare for the journey."

She nodded. It was not the time for questions. Eowyn went to her and took her to her quarters.

"Eowyn, what is Helms Deep?" Déorwyn asked.

"It is a citadel, a place of refuge for the inhabitants of Rohan. My uncle wants us there incase of a stronger attack from Isenguard."

Before they got there, they herd, "Déorwyn, a word please?" it was Eomer. Eowyn nodded and went into her room to prepare her things.

"Yes Eomer?"

"Déorwyn, I am not to travel to Helms Deep. We need more men. I journey with Gandalf to find more from the second mark and villages in the north."

"You are not to be at Helms Deep?" She said. She was not sure if she heard him right. He shook his head no. Many things went through her head. _What if I don't see him again? What if something happens? What if something happens to me?_ She was frightened and the only thing she could do was throw herself into his arms to feel safe again.

He instantly wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "Please be safe," he said, " use your bow if necessary and please keep an eye on my sister. Make sure she doesn't do anything reckless." She nodded against his chest plate. They stood there for a moment. Her thoughts found themselves at their encounter form the previous night.

"Eomer, last nigh-"

"You must forgive me" he cut her off. His mind was on the same thing. "I believe I was under some sort of spell. I had no intentions of catching you off guard."

"Eomer, you did nothing wrong. As you said, you were under a spell" she said with humor in her voice. She knew not how she felt for the Marshall, but she knew that something was only just sparking between them. She did not want anything to happen right now that could smother it.

He smiled. "Its funny, though, because I believe that I am still under that spell. I have not been able to get our kiss from my mind since last night," his head dipped down toward her, "Even now I feel-"

"Eomer…"

"Again, sorry, too forward." She giggled a bit. _I never giggle!_ She thought.

He held her for another moment and said, " I must go, the faster we leave, the more land we can cover before nightfall."

She nodded as he left her in the hallway. She had a big smile on her face. She giggled, again, for a moment at his comments.

She went into Eowyn's room to help her pack. All of her belongings were gone now. They were all on Chestnut who was lost somewhere in the forest. She had not seen him since she got off him when she went to try to save Boromir. Eowyn gave her a traveling dress and a cloak. Eowyn traveled light too, she just threw some healing provisions into a bag and grabbed her dagger and fastened it to her boot. Déorwyn grabbed her bow and arrows and they were ready to leave.

If they moved at a fast pace, they would make it to Helms Deep by nightfall. Aragon, Legolas, Gimli and other soldiers went out to scout the areas for signs of Wild Men or any other enemies heading to the citadel.

She spent most of her time on the walk going over what had happened the night before with Eomer. He had initiated the kiss, so he must feel the same way that she did about him. Also, he had come to tell her this morning about his mission, so he cared for her. She thought for a minute about her potential with him. _It would be a good match, Faramir would approve. It would bring some ties between Gondor and Rohan. But, _She thought, _Do I love him._ This is what she was unsure of. She never had been in love before, so what did she have to look for. Boromir and Faramir never had any interests, they were always to preoccupied with protecting Minas Tirath. _What am I talking about. I have only known him three days! I couldn't possibly be thinking about a marriage. _She couldn't deny her feelings though. The hansom Third Marshall was wining her over and she was not protesting.

Just then, Eowyn walked over to her. She had been with her uncle talking about what preparations needed to be made once they reached Helms Deep for hospitality.

"And what could you possibly be thinking about!" Eowyn said. She was sweet, and through her guarded exterior, Déorwyn could see someone that she could truly be a friend.

"I wish not to say, I am too embarrassed" she replied honestly. How could she talk to her new friend about her feelings for her brother?

Eowyn didn't even need to guess what she was thinking about. "This could not be about a certain brother of mine?" Déorwyn blushed and nodded a bit. She didn't want to lie to Eowyn. "Oh Déorwyn! I knew it! From the moment he rode into the City and told me about you, I knew it!" She practically screamed it.

"Shh!!! Eowyn, please! No one knows!" She said, embarrassed, looking around to see who had heard her.

"Sorry!" Eowyn said in a hushed whisper. " So, what are his intentions?"

"What do you mean?" Déorwyn asked.

"What has he promised you!?" she shouted in excitement again.

"Shhhh!!! He has promised me nothing, of course! Eowyn, I met him three days ago, and yes, I have grown fond of him, but it is far too early to be thinking in such ways!"

"I see, yes I am getting far to ahead of myself. So, how do you feel about him." She asked.

"To be honest, from what I have seen of him, he is wonderful. He is sweet, and caring. He is strong and protecting too. I remember feeling very safe as I rode in front of him after he and the Rohirrim rescued me from the Uruks. He doesn't mind that I am stubborn too. Actually, he is stubborn right back at me."

"Now that part seems like my brother. I have truly seen a new side of him ever since you came to Edoras. I have never seen him look at a girl let alone look at one the way he look at one the way he looks at you. You are good for him, Déorwyn, I can feel it." Eowyn said. Déorwyn smiled and continued walking.

They made it to the fortress with good time. The men also returned, save Aragon, with no news of anyone heading to Helms Deep.

Aragon was taking a long time. Déorwyn, Eowyn, Legolas, Gimli, Hama, King Théoden gathered in the main room of the castle and waited for Aragon to show. Déorwyn began pacing back and forth. Eowyn offered her some soup that she made, but refused it. She was too nervous to eat.

They sat in the hall for hours. The king was discussing the safety and well being of the refugees should anything break out.

Déorwyn kept pacing. Aragon had been gone too long. Legolas had no idea where he was, and couldn't see him coming in the distance. He left the hall to keep watch.

About an hour later, the doors to the main hall burst open, with Aragon trudging in. He looked like death. Déorwyn ran to him " Aragon! What happened to you!" she said very concerned.

"I was just wondering the same thing." King Théoden added.

"I rode here hard." He must have ran too because he was out of breath. "I had to warn and prepare. Uruks from Isenguard. Ten thousand at least. Headed right for Helms Deep. No time. Must save Women and Children"

Legolas went to him and supported his weight. Déorwyn found a chair and pulled it over for him to sit down. He flopped himself down. Horror was sprayed across everyone's face.

"Let them come." Was all Théoden could say. "Come. We must prepare the citadel. Eowyn, Get all the women and children and elders into the caves.

Lady Déorwyn, please help Eowyn. I am relying on you two girls to keep things calm. Legolas, Hama, Gimli, we must go and prepare."

Eowyn and Déorwyn both nodded and headed out. "Aragon, you must rest. You are no good to us half alive!" she heard Legolas say as Aragon got up to help with preparations. She quickly took Eowyn's bag form her and went to her friend's side. Out of the bag, she took a small pinch of a powder and put it in a glass of warm water that was by the fire. She mixed it around and gave it to Aragon to drink.

He, almost instantly, looked livelier. " You still must take it easy for an hour or so." She said.

"Was that Grass root seed?" he asked.

"Yes, I saw Eowyn put it in her bag. I assume, being a ranger and all, you know that it will only make you half way better, you must take it easy. The ride was long for you." He nodded, but still went with King Théoden. Legolas rolled his eyes.

"You have skills in medicine, little one. I will know to call upon you whenever I need help." Aragon said.

After a few moments, Déorwyn found herself standing at the entrance of the cave with Eowyn, ushering people into the caves, telling them to go down as far as they could.

"After we get everyone in, we should go to the armory to help the men prepare." Eowyn said. Déorwyn looked at her for a minute. She seemed very antsy and angry.

"Eowyn, my friend, what is wrong?"

"I should be allowed to fight. They are recruiting boys, farmers and old men to fight. I could actually be of use to the battle!"

"Eowyn, it doesn't work that way. We have been commanded to keep watch over the caves. That is an honorable task in itself!"

"You do not understand. I have been brought up my entire life with men. I have been trained and treated like one of the men yet when it comes time to step up, I am not allowed to do the things that they can do. I want to fight for the country I love. I want to protect my people. Why can't they see that?"

Déorwyn had no answer. Although she would never go to battle herself, She saw cause in Eowyn's eyes. She saw both sides. She knew that Eomer was only trying to protect his sister from the horrors of war. Though in the three days she has known him she never saw a dark side of him, she knew it was there. It was in all men who had seen such things. But Eowyn wished to protect the things she loved.

"Eowyn, I understand your cause, believe me I do. I just wish that you would stay with me in the cave. I know nobody and nothing about keeping a mass amount of people calm. It will be like you are protecting me!" she tried to compromise with her. She didn't want to let her know that she had promised Eomer that she wouldn't let Eowyn do anything reckless.

Eowyn gave in. "Alright. We should probably go in then."

"I wish to see my friends be fore we are sealed in!" Déorwyn said.

"Of course." Eowyn replied as she walked up the stairs into the cave.

Déorwyn found Aragon, Legolas and Gimli alone in the armory. She couldn't control her laughter when she walked in. Gimli had put on a Rohan soldier's chain mail and, obviously, he was swimming in it.

"It's a bit tight in the chest." Gimli pointed out. The four just erupted in laughter. It was good that they could still have some air of laughter in these trying times.

"Little one, shouldn't you be with Lady Eowyn in the caves by now! The hour grows close!" Aragon chastised.

"I wished to bid my friends good luck! I swear, if anything happens to either of you-" she patronized.

"Don't worry my lass," Gimli said, still in his chain mail dress, " I will have all the sets of eyes I have on these two rascals!"

"You have more than one set of eyes?" Legolas questioned. Gimli, who had just realized what he said, just roared in laughter again, causing the others to do the same.

When the laughter died down again, Aragon placed a hand on her shoulder and presented her with a small sword. It was bigger than a dagger, but nowhere near the size of his sword.

"This was Merry's. We found it by the Uruk camp outside of Fanghorn forest. This should fare you well if you were to need it, which I hope you will not." She fastened the belt around her. She hugged each of her friends and left the armory to take refuge along side Eowyn in the caves.

As she walked into the caves, she was instantly happy with her decision to wear her cloak. It was warm out side, but in the caves it was dark and drafty.

It was cramped too. All Women, young children and elders were brought into the caves to take refuge during the battle. She found Eowyn settling in a family. Eowyn saw her, and went to her and grabbed her arm.

"Come with me!" she whispered.

Eowyn led her along the cave entrance wall to a small nook set away from the refugees. As they reached the end of the pass, Déorwyn could see a grate through which, she had a perfect view over the battlefields.

"No." was the only thing that Déorwyn could get out her mouth.

"What?" Eowyn said, her faced scrunched up in confusion. She thought Déorwyn would want to watch the battle.

" No. I will not watch as our friends battle for our lives. I have seen death and I will not watch it happen to innocent men!" Only then did she notice the keypad on the bars and the key, which was in Eowyn's hand, dangling off a chain. Déorwyn also became aware of the armor that was piled up in the corner and the long, warrior's sword sheathed upon a belt around her waste.

"NO!" Déorwyn screamed. She was furious with Eowyn. She didn't have to guess as to her intentions. Déorwyn made a move for the key and snatched it out of Eowyn's hand. "You made a promise to me to keep me safe, and I made a promise to your brother to watch out for you."

"So you're doing this for Eomer, not my safety!"

"Not at all!! I care for your safety and I do not want this battle to be over and not have you return. So," Déorwyn threw the key out of the grate. "No. You will see that this is the best option in time."

Eowyn stared, wide-eyed at the outside as Déorwyn brushed past her quickly and made her way to the camp.

She found a seat near the entrance of the nook and against the wall of the cave. She could hear the silent cries of Eowyn, but soon, they were repressed by a soft beating of a drum. She could feel them approaching. She herd them marching along, throwing all their weight into the earth, making a loud noise. It made her cringe. All she could think about was their hands all over her.

She repressed her thoughts by curling up in a ball and covering her ears. In no time, she was asleep.

She woke up several hours later, hearing the thrashing of swords and the cries of soldiers and Uruks. Confusion soon got the best of her. She didn't want to, but she wanted to know what was going on. She also wanted to check on her friend.

She saw Eowyn at the end of the nook. The noises that were coming in from the front line was nothing she had ever herd before. She noticed the tears that had stained her friends cheeks. She went to her side and sat down with her, putting her head on Eowyn's shoulder. No words had to be said.

Outside, Déorwyn could see the men of Rohan fighting the Uruks with all their might. By now, they had been fighting for a couple of hours, and it would be morning soon. It didn't look pretty. Although they fought strong, their numbers were too little. _Where is Eomer?_ Déorwyn thought. He told her he was going to be there with more men. _Maybe he anticipated the fight to be at a later date, maybe he thought he had more time. _It didn't matter. The king had already sounded the retreat.

It was painful for both Déorwyn and Eowyn to see the Rohan soldiers retreat back to the helm and the Uruks barging into the citadel, claiming it as their own.

There were no tears, no words and no movement. Déorwyn couldn't believe what was happening in front of her, and Eowyn was, being the leader that she is, was figuring out what would happen next. Eowyn got up finally and said, "Come, we must warn the others and figure out another way out of the caves."

Déorwyn nodded and got up and they turned to leave, but stopped due to a new noise from outside. A great horn sounded and broke through the stagnant dawn. Eowyn rushed to the grate, as did Déorwyn. The king, Aragon, Legolas, Hama and a dozen other high ranking soldiers were charging down the stairway on horseback and through to the great ramp, slaughtering Uruks as they went. It was one of the most honorable things Déorwyn had ever seen.

Just then, the light crept up in the east and over the mountain pass. A figure in white appeared right at the crest of the mountain. _Gandalf_, Déorwyn thought. Suddenly, another figure came into vision next to the wizard. His broad shoulders and horse tail helmet unmistakable.

"EOMER!" the two women screamed, each with their own reasons to be happy to see the third Marshall. They looked at each other- hope had arrived. The Rohirrim charged down the mountain and unstoppable speeds, the sun's rays serving as another weapon they had up their sleeves. From either side of their ranks, the Uruks found themselves cornered; the men that Eomer and Gandalf had found now outnumbered them. Their only choice was to run to the woods.

Déorwyn looked down on Eomer as he fought off the Uruks. She couldn't take her eyes off him. He looked strong and rugged. He was in his element. As he slashed through the last Uruk, he rode to the front of the troops to stop them from following into the forest. Just as he did that, the trees began to sway back and forth, releasing the screams and cries of the Uruks they finished off.

Eowyn and Déorwyn rushed out of the nook and cave to welcome the men back from their victory.


	10. Revelations

**Revelations **

Déorwyn and Eowyn rushed to the top of the stairs to meet the men. Legolas and Gimli were the first Déorwyn saw, and she rushed to them and instantly checked out their faces and arms for any abrasions.

"Déorwyn, calm down! We have not been injured!" Legolas said, amused by her care.

She didn't care, she continued examining them. Satisfied with not finding any wounds, she embraced them at the same time in a tight hug.

Aragon then rushed in, and joined the group. After Déorwyn carefully inspected him, she hugged him as well.

"I am just so happy that you are all unharmed! It was murder watching you all fight and almost fall to the Uruks!" Déorwyn confessed.

"What do you mean by watched?" Aragon questioned.

Realizing that she was about to rat out Eowyn for attempting to fight, she chose her words carefully, as to not reveal too much of their moment in the nook, " Eowyn and I found a spot in the cave which looks out over all of Helms Deep. I saw as Eomer and Gandalf rode in gloriously!" she said. After saying his name, she began to look around franticly for him.

Aragon and Legolas rolled their eyes and shook their heads.

"Déorwyn, I need you to come with me to attend to the wounded. We must begin with the king, he suffered a shoulder injury trying to protect the gates. He was brought to the Helm" She nodded, but kept looking for Eomer. She looked to Eowyn, who was already tending to some soldiers; she caught her eye, and saw her shrug. Everyone knew who Déorwyn was looking for.

"Lass, if I see him, ill send for you." Gimli said. Déorwyn could swear that he always knew what she was thinking.

"It is alright, my friend, he will show up at some point." She tried to hide her worry for him. She saw that he was not harmed from her spot in the nook. _Maybe he is attending to the wounded and dead?_ She thought. Satisfied with her reasoning, she followed Aragon up the stairs and into the helm.

Inside the helm, King Théoden was sitting in a chair, being fussed over by Hama, who was urging him to take his armor off so that he could see what was wrong with his shoulder.

"Its nothing Hama! It was just hit by a Uruk punch!" Théoden exclaimed. Déorwyn knew that he was downplaying his injury, even through his armor; she could tell something was off about it.

The king then noticed Déorwyn and Aragon's presence in the room. "Aragon! You needn't bring Lady Déorwyn in here! There is nothing wrong!"

"Forgive me, my king, but if you would just let me take a brief look at it, just to ease everyone's mind that you have not a fatal wound." Déorwyn asked.

"Lady Déorwyn, it's really nothing! I-"

"Forgive me, my king, but she is right. Just let us see that there is nothing wrong, and we will go attend to the others." Aragon said. He tone suggested a demand rather than a request.

Théoden shrugged a bit and obliged. With the first movement of his hurt shoulder, he winced in pain. Hama went to him and helped him with his armor, carefully removing it. Once he was down to his skin, Déorwyn could tell that the shoulder was dislocated from the socket.

"My lord, your injury is minor but if let unattended to, it will grow fatal. Please, allow Aragon and I replace it back into its rightful place."

"I trust you two."

Déorwyn looked at Aragon, who went to place himself behind the king to hold him in place. He had seen this type of injury before and knew that the replacement was very painful.

"Wait, Aragon, let me give the king a tea that will ease the pain a bit." She went to the hearth and prepared a tea, using a leaf that Eowyn had packed in her medical bag. "My lord, drink this, it will make you tired, but it will help you cope with the uncomfortable sensation that is about to surge through your shoulder."

Théoden, who was to tired from the battle to even put up a fight took the cup in his left hand and drank it in one gulp.

She waited a moment, and nodded to Aragon to resume his place behind the king. She had never done this before, but had seen it done. She braced her hand at his shoulder, and the other on his arm. With a breath, and an encouraging look from Aragon, she pushed the two together and with a sharp yell from the king, replaced his shoulder into its socket.

"My king, you should rest for an hour or so. You should not move the arm, just so that it gets reacquainted with its surroundings. I must go though; there are more to be attended to. I will check on my patient in a bit." She said as she left the king, Aragon and Hama in the helm.

She made her way back down to the entryway, sifting through the countless numbers of wounded and dead. She found Eowyn who was directing the wounded into the healing hall.

"How many wounded, Eowyn?" Déorwyn asked.

"A few hundred. There aren't as many dead, thank the gods. If you will, Déorwyn, the healers are in need of more hands. They could use your skill."

"Of course." Without hesitation, Déorwyn made her way to the makeshift healing area. Men were lined up in rows, based upon their injuries. She found Gandalf there, tending to more advanced wounds. She went to his side to provide help.

"Gandalf, what will you have me do?" she asked as she rolled up the sleeves to her gray traveling dress.

"My child, thank you for coming. We could use your hands. You can start by making some of your tea that will ease the soldiers. Pass that out, then tend to washing and cleaning the wounds." Gandalf said. He spoke as he tended to a young man with a broken arm.

Déorwyn quickly went to a small fire that burned off to the side. She ordered for water, and sent a page to fetch Eowyn's medical bag for the leaves. As soon as the tea was prepared she had it passed out, and followed Gandalf's order to wash and clean the wounds. She spent the entire day looking after the wounded. She was beginning to become queasy from all the blood. She worked hard, but she needed a break. She finished with her last patient and walked out of the healing area to the entry to Helms Deep.

Déorwyn found a spot on the stairs to sit down for a moment. Her eyes were franticly looking around for one person. _It's been hours, where is he?_ She thought. She got up and began walking around, trying to see where he had gone. She made her way up toward the Helm, looking into every section of the citadel, but no Eomer. She finally went into the helm where she left Aragon, the King and Hama. They were still there, now joined by Gimli, Legolas, Gandalf and Eomer.

They did not see her come in, and continued their discussion.

"With the Uruks slain by the Ents, we must go to Isenguard and finish Sauruman!" Eomer barked, " By now, Grima has informed him of all our weaknesses and Sauruman will strike again!"

"There is no need to shout, Eomer son of Eomund." Gandalf said. " We all agree with your feelings. But we do need Sauruman alive. We need him to talk. "

"We must prepare to go to Isenguard right away." Eomer said, very antsy.

"In the morning, Eomer, my friend. You must rest the night and tend to your wound." Aragon said, putting his hand on Eomer's shoulder.

_Wounded!_ Was all that was going through Déorwyn mind. _Where?! What happened!?_ Her mind went to a million different places as she contemplated the many possibilities. She backed out of the helm and sat down on the steps right outside.

The sun was beginning to set as she heard the door open and saw everyone come out.

"Déorwyn" she heard a deep voice speak.

She turned slowly, and saw Eomer, in full armor standing behind her with his arms out to receive her. She stood, but hesitated going to him, for she didn't know where he was hurt.

"What is the matter?" Eomer asked. She had never before refused the invitation of his arms.

"You are injured." She said full of worry in her voice.

"Ah, yes, I am." He said plainly as he motioned to his lower left abdomen. She could see that his chain mail had been opened, his tunic slashed. There was blood dried to the tunic around the six-inch gash. Her eyes widened as she realized the severity of the wound.

"How did this happen!?" she questioned as she went to take a better look at it.

"I was walking through the fields finding our dead and wounded and an Uruk, who was not dead yet, caught me by surprise and slashed up with his sword. It will be fine."

"Eomer, this can't go unattended! Please allow me to clean and dress it!"

"Déorwyn, please, I have had more gruesome wounds before that have gone unchecked, it will be fine."

"I am not taking no for an answer!" She said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Eomer tried to move past her, but she kept interrupting his path.

"Déorwyn!" he said with a laugh, amused by her stubbornness, " I have to prepare for Isenguard!"

"Lord Aragon said you were not leaving till morning and you needed to deal with your wound! Now, since I am a healer, I must INSIST that you let me look at it." She said, determined.

He laughed again, "Alright, Fine, you win." He took her hand and led her back into the helm, and then down a corridor into a small room with a bed, fireplace, and an oversized chair. Déorwyn ordered Eomer to remove his chest plate and chain mail and to sit in the chair. She had a squire, who was passing by, go and fetch some of her tea, as well as a basin of water and supplies to dress the gash.

She turned back to Eomer who hadn't yet removed his armor.

"You are going to have to undress me." He said plainly.

"Excuse me?" Déorwyn asked. She had never been requested to do such a thing.

"When I go to the straps of my chest plate I pull at the wound and I fear making it worse. So, please, Déorwyn, could you undress me?" He said.

She blushed and looked about the room. This was something that only wives did for their husbands after battle. "Eomer, maybe I should go fetch a soldier to do this, this is highly inappropriate."

"Déorwyn, I wish to not make you uncomfortable, but know I would not ask this of you unless I truly needed you to do it. No one has to know."

She nodded and went to him. She began unbuckling his chest plate and carefully removed it. His chain mail was a little tricky. It was hard to get up over his broad chest without having it aggravate the wound. She got one arm out of it, and shimmied it up over his head and down the other arm. He stood in front of her in his vest and tunic, which were both ripped and bloodied from the attack. She removed his vest and had him sit down in the chair, with his tunic still on. She did not want to be in the same room with him, while he was half naked, trying to concentrate on healing him. the entire time she was undressing him, she could not look at his face. She felt many emotions running through her, but felt the most prominent reason she was doing this was because she needed to help her friend. She would do the same for Faramir, or Aragon or even Gimli if they needed it.

Promptly, the squire showed up with everything she needed. She thanked him and sent him on his way.

She went to Eomer and handed him a cup of her tea. Knowing that it would make him sleepy, she suggested that he move to the bed. She didn't want to tell him that the tea had sleep properties, so she said, "It will make my job easier if I can attend to the cut while you are lying down."

He agreed, downed the cup of tea, and plopped himself down on the bed and put an arm behind his head to support it against the pillows. In this moment, she had to fight hard to not let her thoughts get the best of her. He looked extremely attractive right then and there. Her mind went back to the stables where he kissed her and she instantly wanted to feel his lips on hers again.

_Stop it!_ She begged herself. _You need to concentrate!!_ Her mind was right. She had to think about Eomer's well being at the moment.

She lifted his tunic over the wound, but no higher. After examining his wound, she said, "Well, it is not as bad as I thought it to be, but it still needs cleaning and potentially stitches."

"Would you be able to do those?" he asked, concerned. " I would rather the men not know about the injury."

"I have not ever done them before, but I watched the healers do them all day, and I think I have a hang of it. If you want me to, I will do it."

"Thank you, Déorwyn." He said, staring her right in the eye. She literally felt like she was melting whenever he looked in her eyes and spoke her name.

_Behave!!_ She told herself. _Lets think about the wound and the fact that you are going to give him stitches, WHICH you have never done them before!!_

She continued in silence, and began suturing his wound. She began very shakily. Eomer put his hand on hers and said. " I trust you. You can do this" and that was all she needed. She copied the steps she had seen taken earlier, and with no time at all, she had the entire wound sewn up and bandaged over. She looked up at Eomer who was beginning to feel the effects of the tea. His eyelids were starting to droop.

"Eomer, rest now. You fought bravely today, and saved the lives of your people. Sleep now." She said in a soft voice, as she began to back away from him to give him peace.

"Stay" he said as he caught her hand.

"Eomer, I can't"

" You don't have to lie with me, just stay here. I will rest easily knowing that you are close by."

"And where will I sleep?" she said. Other than the bed, there was no other place to sleep. Eomer would not even conceder allowing her to sleep on the floor.

" I will move to the floor and you can have the bed." He said plainly.

"No, you will not! I just stitched you up, so you are not moving, risking stress on my work!"

"So, if I were perfectly healthy you would not feel bad about me sleeping on this cold, stone floor?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Precisely." She responded playfully. He laughed. She thought for a moment. _I could stay for a bit, until he falls asleep then go find some place more appropriate._ She talked in her head back and forth until she came to a conclusion that she liked.

"Eomer, I will stay, but in this chair. I should watch over my patient to make sure his wound does not pose any threat to his health during the night."

"Of course," he said smiling, " thank you."

"Rest now, Eomer," she said, picking up a blanket from the bed and going to the chair to make herself comfortable for the night. Within a minute, Eomer was fast asleep and within another, Déorwyn was as well.

In the morning, Déorwyn woke up to Eomer gently nudging her arm. He had already gotten up and dressed for the ride to Isenguard.

"It is before dawn, Déorwyn but we must leave for Isenguard. Forgive me for waking you, but I wanted you to join Eowyn seeing us off. It is tradition for the women of the court to do so."

Raising an eyebrow, Déorwyn responded, "But I am not a lady of the Rohan court."

"But you are my friend, so that makes you whatever I say you are. And today, you are, and always will be a lady of the court of Rohan"

She looked away, not wanting Eomer to see her smile and blushed face. "How is your wound?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Perfect, now that you have touched it. Practically healed." She smiled.

Déorwyn got up and put her cloak on. She headed for the door but Eomer clutched her hand and pulled her back in front of him.

"I never did thank you properly for helping me." He said, as his hands found their way to hers and held them.

She looked down at their hands intertwined. She couldn't help but think that it looked and felt right. She looked up and saw his face slowly moving toward her. Her breathing became rapid as her heart was beating relentlessly. She could feel his breath upon her skin. She surrendered herself to his scent as her mind went blank. They were centimeters apart when a loud banging came upon the door.

"Eomer!" it was Gimli " We must leave lad!"

They both broke away from each other, and stood there for a moment.

"I am coming, friend!" Eomer said with a raised voice. They then herd Gimli stalking away mumbling something about humans and not being on time. They burst out laughing. Déorwyn pulled away from him first, and went to get his chest plate. Without hesitation, he reached out his arms to help her put it on, the whole time, and unable to stop laughing from Gimli's comments.

When she was done fastening his armor, she handed him his helmet and they made their way out of the room toward the helm. Before they entered, Déorwyn spoke, " I should go get Eowyn." She didn't want to enter with Eomer, giving the wrong idea. He nodded and she sprung back down the hall and into the room that Eowyn was staying in.

She was already up, and dressed in attire.

"Are you ready?" Déorwyn asked her friend.

"Yes, and you should ready too, we leave for Edoras at first light"

Déorwyn was under the assumption that they were going to wait for the company to return from Isenguard and all proceed to Edoras together. She wasn't sure if she liked the idea of traveling a full day in the open country without the protection from the people she trusted the most.

"Eowyn, have the plans changed? I thought we were waiting, for-"

" We must ready the hall for the celebration of the lives of the men we have lost here. My uncle asked me, with your assistance, to ready everything so that by two nights from now, when they return, it will be ready."

"I understand. Let us see our friends and family off, then I will prepare my things."

Eowyn nodded and followed Déorwyn out of her room and out to the stables. There, Legolas, Gimli, Aragon, King Théoden, Gandalf, and Eomer waited for the two women. She was thankful that Eowyn was at her side; she had never seen men off like this before. She found this, and many other Rohan customs, very intimate.

"We are to go down the line, and bid good luck to each of the soldiers, then kiss them on the cheek." She whispered as she approached the first man. Well, dwarf, as Gimli was first in line.

Déorwyn approached Gimli, and not wanting to bend over awkwardly to kiss his cheek, she said, " Good luck, Master Gimli. May your journey be a success" She kissed the top of his head and added, " Don't give Legolas too much of a hard time." He grinned as wide as he could, causing her to stifle back laughter. She moved on.

"Prince Legolas, may this trip be quick and uneventful, as I wish you to return to Edoras in one piece." She kissed him on the cheek.

" Lord Aragon, please, find our hobbit friends and bring them back to me." She said very seriously. It had been weeks since she saw Merry and Pippin and, even though reassured several times by Gandalf that they were fine, she feared for their safety. She reached up on her tiptoes to kiss Aragon's cheek.

"Take care, little one, we will be back soon."

Eomer was next. "Lord Eomer," she said, keeping with formalities, "May your bravery take you through these next few days." She wanted to say much more, but felt embarrassed by her true feelings. She still did not know how she exactly felt about Eomer, but she could feel herself getting closer to her answer. She again reached up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, lingering there a bit longer than she had with the previous men.

"Good luck, Mithrandir" she said, as she moved on to Gandalf. " May you not have too much trouble with the other white wizard" She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

She hesitantly moved to the king, not knowing how to address him or bid him good luck. "King Théoden," she began, she could not find the words to say to him, and just simply said, "Good luck," he smiled at her, sensing her hesitation. She kissed him on the cheek.

"Lady, I haven't thanked you for healing my shoulder. Thank you for talking me out of my stubbornness." He leaned closer to her ear to whisper something that no one else could hear, "I must also thank you for healing Eomer. He can be as stubborn as I am, but you seem to have a way with him. Thank you for whatever you have cast over him."

Déorwyn nodded and bowed. She then joined Eowyn in front of all the men and watched them as they mounted their horses. They then trotted one by one out of the stables. As he left, Eomer took one glance back at Déorwyn, smiled and nodded. The two women watched as the men raced off toward the east and Isenguard.

Déorwyn then went back to ready herself for the long day ahead of her. Herself, Eowyn, the royal guard and some of the inhabitants of Edoras were to be joining them on their trip. A lot were staying behind at Helms Deep to feel sheltered form any threat from Mordor that may reach Rohan.

The trip was very quiet and uneventful. Since there were not as many people traveling back to Edoras as there were traveling from the city, they went on horseback. It took about half the time to travel, and they arrived in Edoras by early evening.

Over the next two days, Déorwyn found herself immersed in light planning for the banquet. She helped Eowyn select the meal and helped clean and decorate the main hall.

It was the night of the return. The entire day, Déorwyn was feeling antsy. One thing she had done over the past day and a half was think about Eomer. She though about his face and his handsome features. But that was not all. What she liked even more about him was his personality, his care for her, and everyone who came in his path. She loved that, when in his presence, she felt like the only person around. And when he kissed her, she could feel chills running up her spine at the thought.

It came time for her to ready for the banquet. She had a bath drawn and had perused Eowyn's closet for a dress to wear. She found a dark green dress with a tight bodice and flowing sleeves. After her bath, she dressed in it and had her hair done loosely. Her natural waves cascaded down her back and the front was pulled back.

A horn sounded, and that signaled that they had returned. Déorwyn's heart started beating vigorously. She was going to tell Eomer how she felt tonight.

Eowyn and Déorwyn made their way to the Great Hall in Medulseld. Eowyn took her seat on the right hand of the king, where she normally sat. Déorwyn, on the other hand, was unsure of where to sit, and found a spot at the front of the crowd, where Aragon, Legolas, Gandalf and Gimli would sit.

As the six men entered the hall, there were great cheers. The men made their way down the center aisle. She could not see over the crowd of people, but could see Gandalf's staff as it moved closer to her. As they approached the front, she could not help but hear two very different toned voices from the crowd. Most of the voices were either female, or low brooding male voices. But these two voices were higher pitched with a thick accent. They sounded as if they belonged two very small people. Just then, the men came into her sight. They stood tall, obviously successful in their visit. Aragon glanced over to Déorwyn and then knelt down. When he stood back up, almost instantaneously, two short curly head men popped out from the other end of the pack.

"Lady Déorwyn!!" they both shouted.

"Merry! Pippin!" She knelt down and grabbed the two hobbits in a great hug. More cheers erupted. "Oh how happy I am to see you two!" she continued hugging them until the cheers subsided. It was time for the toast.

The two hobbits took a seat on either side of Déorwyn. Aragon, Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf joined them. The four men smiled at her, letting her know they were happy to see her.

She looked up at the thrown. Théoden had just finished greeting Eowyn. Eomer must have done it before the king, as her was already in his place to the left of the king. He was still in his armor, with his hair pulled back off his face. Déorwyn's heart began thumping in her chest again as he found her in the crowd and gave her a half smile. He seemed troubled. She gave him a look back, which said, _what is wrong?_ But he looked away before he could have seen it.

She had no time to dwell on the matter; she could talk to him later. Eowyn presented her king and uncle with a chalice. Ale had been passed out to everyone in the Hall. It was time for the toast.

The King took the floor and spoke, " This night is for all those who have lost their lives in battle protecting Rohan and her borders. Hail the victorious dead!"

"HAIL!" erupted form the crowd. Déorwyn raised her mug and took a sip out of it. It was nasty stuff, but she drank it, not wanting to appear rude or ungrateful for the lives lost.

Théoden hushed the crowd and continued, "It has been one month since my son, Theodred has passed, and yet, I have not named a new heir. Tonight, I change that by naming my nephew, Eomer, Third Marshall of the Riddermark, as the heir to the thrown of Rohan."

Even louder cheers erupted as Eomer stepped forward and took a small bow to his people.

One thought and one thought only was racing back and forth through Déorwyn's mind. _Eomer is to be king, Eomer is to be king, Eomer is to be king!_ She was extremely excited for her friend_,_ but he did not seem to look as excited as she thought he would have been. She stared at him, but was sad to see him not return the look.

"Let the banquet begin!" Théoden ended.

After the meal of wild boar, Déorwyn watched, as her comrades were getting rather drunk around her. She sat in her seat for most of the night. At one point, Merry and Pippin jumped atop the table and began dancing and singing to drinking songs from the Shire. They both got on either side of Déorwyn and planted huge kisses on her cheeks. She burst out laughing, causing Gandalf and Aragon to look over from where they were standing and begin laughing as well.

Déorwyn caught the eye of the King and he came over to her.

"How do you fare, Lady Déorwyn?" the king asked.

"Very well, my lord. How does the banquet suit you?"

"You and my niece did an absolute splendid job. These men could use a night of celebration after what they have went through." She nodded and an silence came over them.

The king broke it by saying, " you know, the name Déorwyn is not of Gondorian origin. It in fact, is of these lands. It means brave joy. It suits you." He said.

"Thank you, king, and I am aware of it. My brothers chose it for me. Faramir always had an obsession with the stories from Rohan and chose it out of a story about a young maiden who roamed the lands of Rohan freely and who endured the end of the world to be with the man she loves."

"As I said," the king said smiling, " it suits you. It truly shows that you do really belong here."

She gave him a half smile, not entirely knowing what he meant. He walked away, finding Eowyn as she approached him.

The hobbits went back to entertaining the Rohirrim and their families. Déorwyn slipped off to a wall to gaze over the entire party. All of her friends were having a great time, but she felt like something was missing. She saw as Aragon and Gandalf looked on at the hobbits. Théoden was with Eowyn talking, and Gimli and Legolas were partaking in a drinking game, which, no doubt, Eomer initiated.

She went over to where Gimli and Legolas were and as soon as she got there, Eomer glanced for a brief second her way, and then turned to walk away. She stood there, not knowing what to do. _What has happened! Did I do something wrong!?_ She was coming up with ridiculous situations in her head as to why he was acting like this, each making her feel less and less secure about herself. She could feel her breath leaving her body as her breaths became quicker. She couldn't breath. She felt a hand softly take her arm and whisk her out of the hall and onto the balcony area right outside.

"Just slowly breath, my little one. Slow breaths." Aragon said. He had seen the encounter with Eomer and saw her slowly start to break down. He felt that it would be less embarrassing for her to sob in front of him over this than in front of the entirety of Edoras.

"What. Have. I. Done." She said, sharply breathing between each word.

"Shhhh little one, Shhhh" Aragon had sat her down on the ledge and took a seat next to her.

She finally calmed down and got her breathing to a normal pace. "I am sorry that you have left the party, you can return if you want." She said very plainly.

"No, I need some fresh air as well. This way, we can talk. I worry about you, Déorwyn." He said.

"Why would that be?"

"You have been on this journey for a long time now, seeing things no one should ever have to see. I worry that not staying in Lothlórien has done a number on your moral."

"Aragon, though I have seen many perils in my journey, I believe that they have all helped me grow as a person. I now see things for how they truly are, instead of what I thought them to be from my readings. I know what it is to have your heart ripped out by seeing one of the two people you love most die right in front of you. I know what it feels like to not know if the other person you love most is still alive. But, I know what it is like to be wanted, protected and loved by her friends around her. Lady Galadriel said as I departed that I would know great sorrow but find great happiness. I believe that it is unfolding for me every day that I am here."

"You speak of the Lord Eomer." He said.

She nodded but dropped her head. " I know not what is wrong. Before you left, two days ago, he was happy to be in my presence, now, he shuns it" she said, almost breaking down again. "What happened at Isenguard."

Aragon put his arm around her and she put his head on his shoulder. " Théoden informed us all of his intentions to make Eomer the next king of Rohan. After the announcement, we noticed that Eomer went quiet. The king and him went on a walk and we could hear shouting from off in the distance."

"It seems as if he does not wish to be king" she said.

"Eomer is a born warrior. He was not brought up to be king, as his cousin was. He was caught off guard."

"But why does he turn from me? Why does he not even look at me?" she said. She wished Faramir were here right now. He would tell her what she wanted to hear, but also let her know what a lovesick fool she had turned into.

"Legolas and I thought about this too earlier. Gandalf had mentioned during the ride home, that being away from your brother, Faramir, was putting a toll on you and that you should be returned to Minas Tirath in a few weeks time. The members of the fellowship that are here are to escort you to the white city and then hopefully track down Frodo and Sam to help carry out their mission."

Even though he did not answer her question, she didn't care. She was overjoyed at the plans of seeing Faramir again. She didn't care that she was leaving Edoras ad all the friends she had made there. She missed her brother and needed to see his face, for be in his presence, to have him place a kiss on her fore head. She threw her arms around Aragon and hugged him, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Oh, thank you, Aragon! I cannot thank you enough!" she said as she held him in the embrace. He did not move either, and he returned the hug. Just then, without breaking the hug, she heard the doors open and saw Eomer emerge from them. He saw Déorwyn and Aragon in their embrace.

Déorwyn saw him staring at them and broke away from Aragon, as if she had done something wrong.

"Forgive me for interrupting," Eomer said, almost hurt. He made his way, very quickly down to the stables.

Aragon looked at her, and said " Go to him, Déorwyn".

Without a beat, she bolted after him and into the stables where she found him with his horse, Firefoot. The last time she was in the stables alone with him was one of the happiest nights of her life, yet she could not help but think that this time it would be very different.

"Eomer, what have I done to upset you?"

"Absolutely nothing. I knew the day would come where things would change."

"What do you mean? Other than your attitude towards me, nothing has changed."

"I know of the plans for your return to Gondor. And you could not seem more thrilled."

"Eomer, I do not hide that I am excited to return to Gondor."

"Déorwyn, you wish to return to a city where, as you say, felt trapped by a father who could care less for you"

"You also know that there is my brother, Faramir there whom I miss more than anything in Middle Earth. I don't know why you are being this way."

"And what if Faramir is dead. What if he was unsuccessful at Osgiliath! Where would you go when your friends leave for Mordor? Stay here, Déorwyn. It is safer."

Though she knew there was a chance that she would not find Faramir alive when she returned, she found it surprising to hear out loud. Even more upsetting to hear it from Eomer.

"Don't you dare say that" She said, anger approaching in her voice. "If Mithrandir tells me I will be leaving with them for Gondor, then I will go. It is where I belong."

She knew that that was a low blow to Eomer. It was obvious that he had strong feelings for her. He had told her all along that she fit in perfectly in Rohan. She even felt that way too. In a perfect world, she could stay in Rohan and be able to see Faramir, but this wasn't a perfect world. this was wartime and she knew that Faramir belonged with the Soldiers of Gondor and Eomer belonged with his Rohirrim. At this point, she longed to see her brother so much that she would risk any sort of relationship with Eomer to see him.

"Then you are not the girl I thought you to be." He said coldly as he walked passed her and toward the exit.

" You would have me caged here in Edoras, waiting while every one I care about goes off to war? I will not do that, Eomer, and if that is the way you see me, then you are not the man I thought you to be!" she spoke, matching his tone.

"Then it is settled. We do not know each other as well as we thought." and with that, he exited the stables.

Déorwyn stood there for a moment. She was at her emotional peak ready to jump off. He anger and love toward Eomer was so strong right now that she didn't know what to do. She felt hot tears running down her face. She bolted up to the halls, snuck around the people unnoticed and into her room to let her emotions out. She screamed into her pillow not wanting to alarm anybody.

She was thankful that she was not sharing a room with Eowyn anymore; she needed to be alone at this moment. _He cannot mean that we don't know each other! He knows me better than anyone here! I let him kiss me for gods sake! _She felt like barging into the hall and slapping him for the things she said to her about their friendship and about her brother, but she also felt like running into his arms and trying to sort things out.

She was so confused. She never, ever felt this way about anyone ever before. _How could I want to hurt and want to make things right with one person at the same time? _She thought. She realized that she would miss Eomer so much when she left for Gondor. She realized that she loved him. _Why does everything have to be so complicated!_ She thought.

With here eyes heavy from tears, she felt herself drift off into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	11. Journey Back to Gondor

**Journey Back To Gondor **

Déorwyn woke in the middle of the night to a bloodcurdling scream. It was coming from the room next door. Along with the scream was the shuffling of feet and inaudible words, muffled by the thick wall between the two rooms. Curious, Déorwyn rose from her bed and threw a robe on. In the hall, she saw as Aragon and Legolas burst from the room, obviously cast out by some sort of power inside.

The screams stopped abruptly, as she saw an overly large glass marble with some sort of potion inside rolling down the hallway towards her. She starred into the glass as it approached her, and could faintly see flames surrounding a large tree. She had seen that tree somewhere before. She began to walk toward the orb, but didn't get to far. Gandalf, who had come into the hall hurriedly, threw a thick sheet over it, breaking her gaze.

"Get Pippin into the Great Hall immediately! Aragon, wake the king, there has been a presence of evil in these walls again, and it cannot go unhandled till morning." Gandalf ordered. Aragon nodded and with haste set off toward the king's chamber. Déorwyn had not moved from where she was standing, with the covered ball at her feet.

"Gandalf, Wha-" she began.

"You best come too, my child, as this is going to greatly effect you as well."

Without any sort of explanation, she was ushered into the hall by Legolas, who wouldn't answer her question as to what that orb was either.

Merry entered, and along with him was Pippin, carried by Gandalf into the Great hall, set to lie down on a table. He was petrified. Merry was right at his side and Déorwyn went to him as well. She took Pippin's hand in hers, and he grasped on to it with all the strength he had in his body at the moment. He was breathing heavily and stared up at the ceiling of the hall. His forehead was drenched with beads of sweat.

"Gandalf what has happened to him!" Déorwyn cried, truly worried for the little hobbit.

"I may ask the same thing," a booming voice of King Théoden said, as he entered with Aragon and Hama. Eomer was not far behind them. "What has happened to the Halfling?" he asked, authority dripping off his words.

Déorwyn turned to look at Gandalf swiftly approaching Pippin. She, for a second, caught glimpse of Eomer, but did not even spare a second to think about herself and him, while Pippin lay terrified on the table.

"Pippin. What did you see?" Gandalf spoke calmly.

"I saw fire. Fire engulfing a city and a great tree." Déorwyn looked at Pippin's eyes, which were open wide, and almost glazed over, as if he were in a different state of mind. When he mentioned the tree, she became more interested, that is what she faintly saw herself.

"Go on" Gandalf said to the hobbit.

" I saw the Eye! I saw him! Sauron!" he said, rising slightly off the table.

Déorwyn grasped his shoulder and gently returned him to a laying position.

"What did you say to him!" Gandalf ordered more forcefully. Knowing Pippin, he could have easily slipped word of Frodo and the ring to Sauron without meaning to.

The room was tense. No one spoke and kept their eyes fixated on Pippin who was shaking with fear, trying not to remember his vision of the great eye.

"SPEAK!" Gandalf commanded, roughly shaking the poor hobbit, who continued to tremble in sheer terror. Déorwyn put her hand on Gandalf to stop is persistence.

Déorwyn put her hand on Pippin's forehead to wipe away the sweat from his brow. The room remained still. No one moved, nor spoke. Pippin was calming down slowly, and finally spoke after several long moments. His eyes were wide as he said softly, "He asked me my name, I didn't answer him. He asked me where I was, I didn't speak. He asked me of the ring," everyone looked at him intently, nervous for what the answer would be. " I said nothing." There was a sigh of relief in the room.

After a few moments of silence, King Théoden spoke, reverting everyone's attention off the small hobbit. " Now what do we do, Mithrandir?"

That was the question on every single mind in the room. Now that Sauron had seen a Halfling in Rohan, one of four possible Halflings to be in possession of the ring, he would undoubtedly unleash forces on the kingdom.

Gandalf spoke softly and calmly. "We must keep Sauron out of Rohan. The world of men cannot afford to fight him at two theatres."

"Eomer, prepare the Rohirrim. I will ride to Minas Tirath to warn them of our coming." Aragon jumped in. Eomer looked to his uncle for approval, he could not take orders from Aragon, even if he was the next king of men. Théoden did not movie, but it was clear that he was a little perturbed by Aragon's request of his nephew.

"No Aragon, you will stay here. I will go to Gondor, but I will not be going alone" Gandalf looked about the room pausing on Pippin and Déorwyn. She knew this was it. She would be returning to Gondor at dawn. She looked around at her friends. Aragon nodded, Legolas looked worried, and Eomer did not even make any sort of eye contact with her.

"Gandalf! You can't think that bringing Déorwyn to Gondor is a good idea right now! She must remain here where it will be safe!" Legolas said. Though she was flattered that her friend would care about her well being, she knew that she would rather be in Gondor than in Rohan right now. Tensions were too high between her and Eomer and she missed Faramir terribly.

"Legolas, please my friend. I will go to Gondor." Déorwyn said.

Eomer finally looked up at her. He had not forgot the account of their recent argument, but he had hoped that maybe it would blow over, that they could figure this out come morning. Apparently, he was wrong.

Gandalf went to Aragon, who was standing very close to King Théoden and said, " You must be ready to come if the beacons are lit."

Overhearing this, Théoden finally spoke up, unable to bite his tongue any longer, " And why should Rohan go to the aid of those who did not come to ours. Why must I sacrifice my men for lands that we do not hold any stake in? You would command my armies against my will, Aragon, son of Arathon?"

"Forgive me, my lord, but war is already upon you! Realize that this is not just a war between Gondor and Mordor, but Sauron and the fate of Middle Earth!" Aragon said. Théoden quickly stepped back and remained quiet for the remainder of the conference.

"Ready the horses, we must not waste time" Gandalf said.

Déorwyn glanced toward Eomer. His face was expressionless. _If he cared for me enough, he would fight for me to stay, right?_ She thought to herself. She had never, ever cared for someone like this before and did not know how to handle herself, or the situation. She shot him a look that said _I'm sorry, but this is what I must do._ She hated this feeling. She hated the fact that Eomer could not understand that she needed to see her brother. Wouldn't he realize that if he had ever been parted from Eowyn for a long amount of time, he would miss her too? Without any sort of response from Eomer, she left the hall to prepare the small amount of her things.

The sun had rose over the city as Déorwyn made her way down from Medulseld to the stables. Though it was light, Edoras still slept, tired form the previous night's festivities. Théoden and Eomer were conversing right out side of the stables, while Pippin was sitting on a bushel of hay listening to what was going on between the king and his heir. They seemed to be in some sort of argument. As she moved toward them, Eomer saw her approaching and ended his conversation with Théoden and swiftly moved passed her.

Frustrated, she called out, "Eomer! Please! Let us not leave it this way!" she begged of him.

He turned, and with a stern look on his face said, " Lady, I do not agree with your choice to journey the treacherous rout to Gondor, but there seems to be no swaying your foolish, stubborn mind." He turned on heel and stormed back up to Medulseld.

She was downright annoyed. She felt at this moment that she would never see him again, and he didn't even care. She tears didn't come though, she was too angry for tears. She, herself, stormed into the stables to find Aragon, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Gandalf- Théoden and Pippin followed in close behind.

"Are you ready, Déorwyn?" Gandalf asked. He was already atop of Shadowfax.

She nodded and made her way over to Brego, who Legolas had carefully prepared. He took her bag from her and fastened it securely to the saddle along with her bow, which was put on the opposite side for easy reach. He took her hand and guided it under the horse's saddle where she found a sheathed sword. "The hobbit one could not do you any good if faced with a dire situation." He said.

She nodded and hugged him. "Please, let this not be the last time I see you all. I hope you find a way to urge the king to aid Gondor. You all have become a part of my family. I will miss you. Be safe, my friends." She went to each member and hugged him or her tightly. When she got to Merry, she kneeled before him and presented him with his sword. " I will no longer be needing this, Master Merriadoc." She said, and he took it from her proudly.

"It needs a good sharpening" he said, causing the others to chuckle.

"Also, make sure you explain to Eowyn that I will miss her. She will, I fear, not understand why I have left. Please don't let her do anything regrettable." She said to Merry.

"I will try, but she can be as stubborn as you are!" he responding, evoking another round of laughter from the fellowship.

As Pippin was saying his goodbyes to everyone, Théoden approached Déorwyn and said, " safe journey, Lady Déorwyn. May our paths cross soon. I feel that your time in Rohan is not yet up" and winked. She didn't not know what his comment meant. Truthfully, she didn't know what anything meant anymore. She had thought that she had defiantly figured out Lady Galadriel's riddle- that she would find true happiness amidst the chaos and turmoil of her journey- but apparently, what she thought was love and happiness turned out to be the complete opposite.

Pippin was placed by Aragon in front of Gandalf as Legolas assisted Déorwyn onto Brego and without a delay, they charged off into the early morning sunrise, not to stop until they reached Gondor.

As they exited the city of Edoras, Gandalf said, "Ride Shadowfax, show us the meaning of haste!" He wasn't kidding. It was a three-day journey to Minas Tirath and only twice did they stop for only a few hours time- enough to eat, rest the horses and regroup. Pippin, who was used to having many multiple course meals a day, was having a hard time with the infrequent stops and the scarcity of food. Déorwyn promised him that once they were in the White City, she would have a whole banquet prepared, just for him. In bewilderment of the notion of a whole room of food, Pippin quit complaining and became silent in front of Gandalf, thinking to himself what exactly would be on his menu.

As she had done countless times on the many silent rides through Middle Earth, Déorwyn found her thoughts on Eomer. This time, she was trying to sort through her feelings and their encounters. Every single time they conversed, prior to the banquet in Edoras, he had been the most charming man she had ever met. But the past day revealed a side of him she never thought existed. He was brash, and stubborn, rude and mean. He was quick to his assumption that she had no qualms for leaving Rohan. Truthfully, the whole plan for her to leave for Gondor was sprung on her so quickly that she only thought about the positive outcome of leaving. She never once though about the friends, other than Eomer, that she would be leaving behind.

Though Eomer did have his downfall, she could still overlook that to see his strengths. After things had settled and it was safe to travel back to Edoras, she planned on doing so. She had to sort things out with him. _That is,_ she thought_ if he even wants to see me again. Though he did express his want for me to stay for my safety, he did not mention anything about my company. _Maybe, with being the next in line for the thrown, his thoughts of a relationship were now burnt out? Maybe he thought that courting was not an option at this time? She was so confused. _And, _she continued in her head, _what did the king mean by, "I feel your time in Rohan is not up yet?_" What did he and Eomer argue about on the Isenguard trip? What were they in tense conversation about at the stables? Her questions needed answering, and there was only three people who would know the answers to these questions. One was King Théoden, who spoke so cryptically that it would be almost impossible to understand what he was talking about. Another was Eomer, who she would probably never talk to on that level again if his feelings were not matched to hers. The third was a small curly haired hobbit who just-so-it-happens was eves dropping on that very conversation, he would be Déorwyn's best shot at getting the answers she wanted.

They were quickly approaching Minas Tirath on the third day. They got to the Pelenor Fields just after noon, and from there it was a quick fifteen-minute ride up to the top of the City. There was a gloom over the city that was not there when she departed almost two months ago. The mountiains separating Gondor from Mordor were almost pitch black. There was smoke and smog coming out from them, spilling into the fields and river separating the two lands. Approaching, she felt herself nervous for various reasons.

As she had left the city, she received the order from Denethor to bring back Boromir alive. She had been so caught up in her feelings for Eomer that she didn't even think about what sort of trouble she must have caused in the city, due to the fact that Boromir was dead and 10 of the cities youngest soldiers were dead, slain by orcs. _Are they even aware that they are all dead?_ She thought. How would they have known if Boromir was alive or dead? She didn't know if she could face Denethor, who would most likely banish her from the city for being a curse to his house. Again, remembering the letter she left Faramir, she wondered what he would think of her, for disobeying him so immensely.

Sensing her struggle, Gandalf put a hand on hers and said, " Strength, Déorwyn. Show your courage. Be brave. As long as I am with you, Denethor will not lay a finger on you."

She nodded reluctantly. They crossed the field and made their way into the great gates of Minas Tirath.


	12. The White City

**The White City **

The gates of Minas Tirath opened slowly, letting Gandalf, Pippin and Déorwyn in. Whispers among the soldiers immediately broke out. Déorwyn could hear her name here and there, people either saying, " I thought she had died" or " I didn't even know she had left". She heard a lot of jabber about Pippin. Most of the inhabitants of Minas Tirath had never seen nor heard of hobbits before, and they were most surprised to see such a small person in their presence. She smiled to herself, thinking that the gossip of the White City is one thing she surly did not miss while she was away.

They circled the streets, spiraling up to the top tier. Upon reaching the top, Déorwyn greeted the stable master. "Hello Orodreth! May you do my friends and I a favor and see to it that our horses get proper care. We just rode hard from Edoras and they could use some much deserved attention."

Orodreth nodded, he never said much. Gandalf, Déorwyn and Pippin dismounted and handed Shadowfax and Brego off to the elderly stable master and made their way to the White Hall where, more than likely, they would find Denethor.

Déorwyn fell a step behind as they approached the door. Pippin came up to her and said, " Lady Déorwyn, I know not why you are troubled to see your father, but I will be here to protect you if need be!" He kneeled and presented his sword to her.

She smiled and motioned for him to rise. She kissed him on the top of his head and responded, " I would be most honored to be protected by a knight such as you Master Pippin!" He beamed.

"You best not say anything at all! You're even lucky I'm letting you inside!" Gandalf chimed in.

Without knocking, Gandalf pushed himself through the large double doors leading to the thrown hall. Just as she thought, Denethor was sitting, slouched over in the Steward's thrown, twirling something in his hand. He looked as if he had not slept in nights. There was a sour smell in the air too, leading Déorwyn to believe that her troubled father had never left the room since she last saw him, not even to bath. A large table covered with food sat to the side of the hall. That had never been there before. They always took their meals in the lavish dining room that sat off to the side of the kitchen. The fact that he was now taking his meals in the thrown room just validated her theory.

"Denethor, Steward of Gondor. I ride to you here in Minas Tirath with a message from our travels" Gandalf said. "I bring with me a hobbit from the shire, Perrigrin Took and I might add that your daughter, Déorwyn the fair is in my company, and she is unharmed. But I cannot say that for all of your offspring."

As they neared the thrown, Déorwyn could make out what Denethor had in his hands. It was the horn of Gondor that had been split by an arrow of the orc as it pierced through Boromir. _This is not going to go well _she thought as she braced herself for a whole lot of arguing.

"No daughter of mine is named Déorwyn the fair, only Morwen the cursed has ever held her shadow over me, destroying everything I loved and cared about it this world!" he shouted as he threw the horn to the side.

Déorwyn was not anywhere close to be in the mood for this and said, " My lord Steward, I would be more than happy to be not considered your daughter, but Boromir was my brother and I must say, the mission you sent him on led to his peril. The one ring of power possessed him. You sent him to his death!" She shouted right back.

Gandalf put his staff in front of her, concerned that she would attack the senile steward. She calmed herself and let Gandalf speak.

"It is true, Boromir is dead. He died so that the ring could be carried to Mount Doom to be destroyed. We will be able to do this if you mobilize your armies to fight off Mordor."

" And how do you know of this on-coming attack. What news do you have that I, Steward of Gondor, do not!"

"Sauron has seen the one ring and knows not where it is physically. He will burn every thing in his path until he finds it, starting with the White City. With the number of your armies, you will be able to hold off his until we can get word to Théoden of Rohan to send more troops!"

"Osgiliath has already been taken! They move to the bridge on the other end of the Pelenor as we speak. We have already lost!" Denethor said. Déorwyn could only think that if Osgiliath had been seized, Faramir must have been dead. She shrunk to the ground and stared blankly in disbelief. Just as the first tear was sprouting in her eye, the great doors burst open and she heard,

"Déorwyn?" she turned her head and saw the tall figure of Faramir standing there, in disbelief himself for seeing his little sister again.

"FARAMIR!!" she shouted, as she ran to him and in to his embrace. He hugged her back tightly not wanting to let her go again.

" Are you absolutely crazy! You could have been killed out there! When I got your letter I had another dispatch go after you. They reported that all your company had fell to orcs but you were nowhere in sight. Oh Déorwyn! Where have you been? I thought I had lost you too!" he exclaimed, hugging her and kissing her head. She let go tears of happiness for being in her brother's arms and knowing he was alive.

"Faramir, I have literally been everywhere! That is a story for another day though. We must urge our father to mobilize. Mordor is planning an assault; the bridge must be reinforced if we are to stand a chance and word must be sent to light the beacons to summon Rohan."

"And since when did you become such a general!" he laughed, then said, "Let me see what I can get him to agree to." He said as he grabbed his sister by the hand and led her to their insane father figure.

"Father, our friend, Gandalf is right. If Mordor has launched an attack, he would begin with the bridge. Allow me to go to our end of the bridge and reinforce it, or knock it down!" Faramir pleaded.

"No! I will not allow you to tear down what my ancestors worked hard to build!"

"But father, it is a direct link from us to Mordor! It was a mistake to build it in the first place. With it demolished, we will be able to, by the power of our archers, eliminate their front line from safe distance!"

"Silence! If you wish to please me, Faramir, then charge them head on." Denethor said, with a slight, sickening grin growing on his lips.

Disgusted, Déorwyn bursted out, "You are insane! I know you think nothing of me as your daughter but Faramir serves you and loves you! You send him to the same fate of Boromir! I beg of you, do not send the only family member I have left to his death!"

"I said SILENCE MORWEN!" Denethor barked. The room fell silent and the troubled Steward continued, "I have made clear my wishes." He plopped back down into his stone chair.

Faramir turned on his heal and made his way toward the exit. "Faramir!" Déorwyn called, hoping to be more successful at stopping him than she had with Boromir.

"If I return, father, think better of me" Faramir said, back turned to Denethor.

"That would depend on the manor of which you return" he replied dryly. Déorwyn and Gandalf both shot him a death glare and swiftly followed Faramir out of the hall.

"Faramir, you cannot think that your small dispatch can even put a dent in Sauron's forces" Gandalf said, trying hard to stay with Faramir's quick pace.

"What I can do, is give the armies something to deal with while you get word to Edoras for more troops." Faramir said. He was smart; Déorwyn knew that he wouldn't willingly sacrifice himself to death unless it meant to strengthen the forces of Gondor. He continued, " I will prepare the men that I can, and ride out come morning."

"Faramir, please don't. I have already lost one brother and I don't think I could even think about bearing it if I lost the other. There has to be another way!" She pleaded.

Sensing his sister's sadness, he went to her and warmed her in his brotherly embrace. "Sister, there is no other way. You are tired, retire to you your chambers and I will be there soon to hear of your travels. I would like a good story before I dispatch" he was trying to calm her. He knew not of what charging on Mordor's armies would mean for him, but he wanted to make sure his sister knew that his death would not be in vain. He needed to let her know that there was nothing she could do to prevent his death, as she had with Boromir.

She motioned to protest, but Gandalf placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and nodded to agree with Faramir. She let out a frustrated yell and stormed to her old chambers.

There, she let out a sigh of relief, finding her quarters exactly the way she left it. The maids had made her bed, and her nightgown had been placed up on the sheets, ready for her to put on. She wondered how many times her room had been attended too, as it looked like it was just made.

Defeated from her argument with Faramir, she undressed, and put her nightgown on. Though it was day, she needed to rest. Three days with not even so much as a wink of sleep had run her down. She drew the curtains, simulating nighttime in her bedchamber. She crawled atop her massive bed and under the covers. She was extremely tired but could not seem to fall asleep. Her mind bounced back and forth between Faramir, Eomer, The Ring, her journey, the deaths she had seen and the impending war that was at the doorsteps of the White City. She found herself drifting in and out of sleep trying to come up with good arguments for Faramir to stay to present to him when he came to her. She couldn't help that feel her reasons were selfish. She wanted him to stay so that she wouldn't be alone. She hadn't seen him in a while and she missed him. She realized that her brother was just doing his duty. He needed to protect the city. And if holding off the armies would buy them enough time for Rohan to come, and then so be it. He would be valiant to matter the out come. She would be proud of her brother.

The day turned to dusk, she could see the sunlight dim through the curtains where the sun shown in previously. After only getting only a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, Déorwyn felt energized. She remained in her bed and let her mind go blank.

There was a faint knock at the door, and she said, "Come in". In walked Pippin, in a new outfit, one she had never seen before, Gandalf, and Faramir.

"Déorwyn! You are looking at the newest member of the tower guard! I offered my services to Denethor!" Pippin said. He was obviously extremely excited, and so she smiled and looked at the other two men. Gandalf was chuckling to him self, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. Faramir was smiling too, apparently beginning to feel a fondness toward the little hobbit.

"Well, I told you Master Pippin! Anyone would be lucky to be at the protection of you!" he Smiled and went to go take off his sword belt, and armor, and jumped atop of Déorwyn's bed with his tunic and breeches on.

Faramir joined Pippin, sitting on the edge of Déorwyn's bed. "Déorwyn," he spoke, "I hope you do not hate me for what I am to embark on, I-"

"Faramir. Let us not talk about it. I have realized that my want for you to stay is purely selfish. If you go, you will be looked at as a hero no matter what you did and I would be proud of you." She said. Faramir though that he was going to do a whole lot of convincing to make her seem ok with it, and pulled her in for another hug.

"I know this must be hard for you, but know that I will do everything in my power to return to you."

"Then that is all I can ask." She said as she hugged her brother tightly and kissed his cheek lightly.

"And," he said as he let her go form the hug, " I am to understand that there are a few good men that will be more than happy to look after you should anything happen to me."

Déorwyn nodded, but Pippin spoke out first, " Not just men Lord Faramir, But Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits too!"

"My goodness, Déorwyn, where have you been!"

"I met our brother in Lothlórien where I was introduced to the Fellowship whose task it is to escort the hobbit, Frodo Baggins, to Mount Doom to destroy the one ring. Though, the party split up when we encountered Uruks in the woods right outside of Lothlórien's borders." She fell silent. Pippin got closer to her and stretched to put his arm around her shoulder.

"Go, on Déorwyn, what happened?" Faramir questioned.

"It was ther-" she began, not sure how to tell her brother that she witnessed Boromir's death. "It was-"

"Faramir, it was there, in the borders that the fellowship was ambushed by Saurumon's Uruk army. It was on the banks of the great river that your brother was slain at the hands of one of them." Gandalf finished for her.

"You mean, you saw as-" Faramir couldn't finish. Déorwyn, who was looking down at her bedding just shook her head, unable to look at Faramir in the eye.

Silence fell over the room and no one knew how to break it. After a few moments, Faramir continued, "we knew he had been murdered, but we were not sure how." He said softly. "You should not have had to see that."

"I did, it has happened and it is over. Boromir is in a better place now. He is with mother."

"Oh Déorwyn," Faramir said, bringing her yet again into another embrace. He held her there for a moment and moved back to place a kiss upon her forehead. After he did this, she felt like she was home. This was one action that made her truly feel at ease.

"When do you leave?" she asked.

"The time is nearing. I leave at first light with my men. Déorwyn, Gandalf and I were talking and there is something that I will need you, and Master Pippin to do"

"Anything, brother." Déorwyn responded, interested in what he will need her do.

"I need you to light the beacons." He said.

"How will we do it? They are heavily guarded; it will be almost impossible to do so without the Steward's authority." She said.

"Pippin will climb up the rock side of the tower, and you will go distract the guards while he sets afire to the beacon"

She nodded. She could do this. "When?" she asked.

"Now." He answered. Without hesitation, Déorwyn leapt out of bed and threw her dress on, not caring that the three others had seen her in her nightgown.

Pippin readied himself and the four rushed out of Déorwyn's chambers and toward the wall, which the beacon was placed upon.

Silently, Faramir sent Pippin up the wall, climbing rock by rock toward the top. Déorwyn went through the doorway, leading to a spiral staircase to the top of the tower. She made haste, and when she reached the top of it, she did not recognize the guards sitting and talking.

"Hello soldiers!" Déorwyn said, putting her girly act on.

"My Lady Déorwyn!" They said, standing up to greet her presence.

"I came on a mission from my brother, Captain Faramir, to check on the status and safety of the beacon." As she said this, she saw the curly head of Pippin pop up from the side of the wall, grasping a loose stone, and pulling it out of its place. The stone caused a noise loud enough to make one of the soldiers turn to see what the commotion was about. Pippin, thankfully ducked his head below the sightline of the soldier. Déorwyn breathed a sigh of relief when the soldier's attention turned back to her. Pippin, when the coast was clear, proceeded to crawl to safety and to clime up the pyre.

To keep their attention, Déorwyn kept them engaged, by proposing a question about if it was better to have a small army of strong, fierce soldiers or to have a large army of farmers and stable boys. She didn't know where she got the idea for that topic, but it worked. The two men were snapping back and forth with each other, neither one making real sense. She understood why they were guarding the beacon- it took little to no brains. Apparently they were not even cut out for this job, because just on cue, Pippin drained the basin of oil on the wood stack and threw a torch upon it.

"The Beacon!!" One soldier said, both turned to look at the blaze in the nighttime sky. Déorwyn tried to hold back a grin, and mouthed to Pippin "GET OUT!" before the soldiers could catch him. he bolted to the stair case which Déorwyn entered, and sprinted down the stairs.

"The beacon! It has been lit!" the soldier said to Déorwyn, "Captain Faramir must be informed at once!"

Before the soldier could get past her, Déorwyn said, " I will do it soldier, as you were! And I'll get that mischievous hobbit too!" she exited down the same way she came in. when she reached the bottom, she saw Gandalf and Faramir praising the small hobbit.

"My Brother, Captain Faramir!" she said very seriously and breathlessly. Faramir turned to her, afraid something might have went wrong. " The beacon has been lit." she finished. More rejoicing occurred.

"Quick, to the Garden! We must look to the west to make sure the second beacon has been set aflame!" Gandalf said, quickly ushering the other three toward the main garden in front of the great hall.

Just as they suspected, the second beacon had been lit and they could see that the third one was lit way off in the distance. The call had been made. It was up to King Théoden now if he would answer it.

"What if Edoras does not respond, Gandalf?" Déorwyn asked.

"Théoden is a smart king. He does not want to cause further harm to his people, but he will realize that if men were defeated, it would affect him as well. He will come around and fight for the freedom of middle earth." The wizard responded.

"And what if we do not have enough men to fight off Sauron?" Faramir asked.

"I have let Aragon in on some information, that, if true, will turn the tide of the war in our favor" Gandalf said.

Déorwyn watched as the inhabitants of Minas Tirath looked to the west, confused as to why the beacons were lit. She looked off to the North, and saw the darkness of Mordor was continuing to ooze through the sky, getting closer and closer to the White City.

"Faramir, it is time" Gandalf said, breaking the silence.

He nodded and went to his sister. "Déorwyn, I know saying, stay within the walls of the city and be safe will not have any affect on you, so I will leave you with this: if you find yourself in the midst of an altercation- use your bow. I would hate to see your beautiful face dirtied with that of Orc blood." She laughed.

"I will if I have to brother." She responded.

"Aim for their neck." He said, Déorwyn snorted a bit.

A silence came over them, neither one wanting to say goodbye. Faramir went to her and, as he had done many times before, placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Be safe, Faramir." Déorwyn said.

" I always am." He responded.

Faramir bid farewell to Pippin and Gandalf and went toward the stables to fetch his horse and muster his men.

Not wanting to dwell on the idea of Faramir not coming back, Déorwyn changed the subject. She moved toward Pippin and said, " Now, what say we have that banquet I promised you!"

Pippins eyes grew large and shook his head yes, very enthusiastically. Gandalf held back a laugh and smacked the back of Pippin's head. " Even on the doorstep if war, a hobbit will never forget his stomach!" Pippin shrugged and followed Déorwyn to her chamber.

She had a made send for a cooked bird, roasted vegetables, and potatoes and, by special request, Pipe weed for both Pippin and Gandalf. When the food was delivered, hours later, Déorwyn made a small plate for her, Gandalf did the same and Pippin dug into the feast in front of him. Since arriving in Minas Tirath, she had a skewed perception of time. They were awake through the night, talking of the duties that Pippin would have to have now that he was an enlisted member of the Gondorian army.

When dawn broke, the wizard took a seat out on the balcony of Déorwyn's sitting room. She had a good view of the Mountains separating Gondor from the Land of Mordor. She always hated this, but Denethor would not spare any of his good rooms with beautiful views on her. Gandalf sat and smoked his pipe and she went to join them.

"Where do you suppose Frodo and Sam are by now?" she asked.

"I would hope not to far from here. My heart tells me Frodo is alive, but the ring has taken a grave toll on him. I fear he will not return from this perilous journey I have set him out on." He said gravely.

" The hobbit's will is strong, he will succeed." She said. Gandalf smiled at her, patting her on the back a bit.

"And how are you, my dear child? It would seem that you have come full circle since leaving Minas Tirath?"

"What do you mean Gandalf?"

"You set out on this journey knowing nothing of the real middle earth, except from what you read in books. How are you dealing with everything that you have encountered"

"Great, I guess. It has been tragic, yet enlightening in a way. I'm not sure what to think about meeting all of those remarkable people, yet loosing my Boromir in the midst of it."

"I see. It was most unfortunate that Boromir fell to the powers of the ring."

"Gandalf, I hope you don't think me rude, but I wish not talk about Boromir while Faramir is out there."

"Of course." The wizard said. She diverted her mind from thinking of her brothers to the next thing that was most prominent- Eomer. If Théoden chose to respond to the beacons, then- more than likely- Eomer would be at the battle. She figured in three days time, She would see Eomer again- if he made it through the battle unharmed.

As if he read her mind, Gandalf spoke, " He will be coming with the army, you know."

She knew he spoke of Eomer, but didn't want to let on that she was thinking of him. "Who do you speak of, Mithrandir?"

"Don't play me the fool, child. Eomer of course." Literally nothing could get past the old wizard.

"Of course he will be, he is a fierce brave warrior and the enemy should fear his skill. But for my own personal reasons, I care not." She said. Though she did want to talk about Eomer with someone, she wasn't sure Gandalf was the one she wanted to talk about him with.

"Do you really mean that, or are your current feelings getting the better of your judgment?"

"Gandalf, he made the choice to stay in Rohan, and made it clear that he didn't care if I stayed or left. He called me foolish! It was a side of Eomer I never would have thought existed."

"My child, you cannot possibly believe everyone is always perfect and pleasant all the time! Of course Eomer has his faults. You are lucky that temper and stubbornness are the only ones he posses!" he said, a chastising tone coming out. "The young marshal has had a lot thrown at him these past weeks, and you should not be so quick to think that he is the perfect man you wish him to be."

She found truth in Gandalf's words. She knew no one was perfect. She just wished that Eomer had listened to her before storming off without saying goodbye. She hated when Gandalf was right though. Faramir had always told her to never judge people because of their faults, look at their strengths and then deal with the downfalls. She figured the reason she never had a real suitor is because she was too quick to judge. That, and no one really ever struck her fancy until Eomer. There was never any talk of courtship with him; it could have been just a brief fling that fizzled out just as quickly as it began. She had a feeling that that wasn't the case though. Again, she dwelled on his good traits. She remembered first meeting him, cradled in his arms, feeling completely safe. If there was one thing she wanted most in the world at that moment, she wished to go back to that day when he had kissed her and just be up front and tell him how she felt. Maybe she would be in a different situation right now.

She sighed heavily and finally admitted, " I miss him."

"I would hope so! You two made a strong connection over the past months. It would be a shame to throw it out over something so silly. You would be foolish not to miss him." Gandalf responded. He got up as if to leave the balcony and said, turning back to her, " he will come around, Déorwyn. Everything will turn right in the end."

She still was not convinced. How would she know if he wanted to see her? He was probably now preoccupied with the impending war and becoming king then with matters of his heart.

Pippin then appeared and sat where Gandalf had vacated. "Déorwyn, I could not help but over hear what you and Gandalf were speaking of." She knew where he was going. She wanted to know what had gone down between Eomer and Théoden in front of the stables in Edoras.

"Pippin, if it is alright with you, I would like to know what you heard between Lord Eomer and King Théoden before we departed for Minas Tirath."

"Well, I herd bits and pieces, but one thing was clear."

She moved closer to him, and said, "What is it!?"

"Théoden was warning Eomer not to let you leave Edoras. He said 'now that you are going to be king, you must find a lady to settle with once you return to Edoras.' Théoden spoke of you and Eomer and how you both made an excellent match politically." _So that is what the king meant when he said that I would return to Edoras…. _She thought, Pippin continued, "Eomer said that he knew you would be safer in Edoras, but knew better than to cage you there when you wished to be with your brother." She smiled, _maybe he did listen_, Pippin went on, "Eomer also said that he would not even think about courting, let alone marriage, if he didn't know that you felt the same way that he did. He said something about you must love the person you marry and that he would not put you in that position if he wasn't sure that you felt the same way he felt for you."

She thought for a moment, "Pippin, what do you mean, feel the same way he feels for me?"

"Isn't it obvious, Déorwyn? Eomer loves you!" Pippin exclaimed.

She was taken aback by the word love. Yes, she did feel love toward Eomer, but to be loved in return? That was something she never felt before. Sure, she was loved by Faramir and Boromir, but to the extent of brother and sisters. She never felt loved, as in, forever love. Surprisingly, she liked the feeling. Suddenly feeling embarrassed, she said, "Hush Pippin, don't speak of such things" as she blushed crimson red.

"Well, you know its true, and I would bet the Shire on the fact that you love him too." The hobbit said.

Déorwyn smiled. She had no time to respond to Pippin, for Gandalf- who had left her chambers to walk about the city- came bursting in to her room.

"My child, Come, QUICK!" he said.

Without any sort of explanation, She was bolting after Gandalf, who was running full speed down the tiers of the city to the main gates, where, when the gates opened, she saw something she thought she would never fear in her darkest nightmares.


	13. Alone

**Alone**

The darkness from Mordor had now engulfed Minas Tirath. Standing in the entryway, Men were screaming, "Open the Gates!" and "To you battle positions!" to Déorwyn, everything went silent once she looked through the Gates to the White City.

From across the Pelenor Fields, she could see a massive army marching towards the city. She heard battle cries from creatures she had never herd before. Towers were erected and placed on wheels, rolled along with the army. Their horns made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, sending chills down her spine.

One single horse came running into the gates, obviously frightened from what was behind him. She felt sorry for the horse, but then realized what the horse had in tow behind him.

_No._ She thought. _No, No, NO NOOO!_

"NO!" she screamed, bolting toward the horse. Faramir's body lay unconscious, dragged by the leg, left shoulder pierced by an arrow. She collapsed at his side, as one soldier released his leg from the horse's harness. "NO! NO!" She continued to scream, tears bolting down her eyes in sadness and fury.

Soldiers went to her, to offer comfort, but she swatted them away. "Don't touch me! Get away from us!" Anger she didn't know she had built up in the depths of her soul. Who was responsible for this! She gulped hard, and looked out the gates to the city. The Army was getting closer, their stomping and battle cries boiling her blood, sending her to her limit. She grabbed Faramir's sword that was still sheathed inside its case, and whipped her self up to a standing position, and sprinted toward the exit and to the armies. They would pay for killing her brothers.

Before she got to the exit, Gandalf grabbed her arm forcefully, and stopped her attack.

"Déorwyn! STOP! There will be a time for revenge, but it is not now!" he said. She melted, knees weak. She dropped the sword and it made a clamoring sound as it fell on the stones. She fell to her knees, and Gandalf followed her, taking her into a tight embrace, rocking her back and forth, a single tear passing down his cheek as well.

She was at a loss for words. She had a small dark feeling that Faramir would not return from his mission, but she had hope that he would.

Pippin made his way to Faramir, and bent down. "He's not dead." He said silently, when no one listened, he screamed, again, "HE'S NOT DEAD!"

_Silly Hobbit, _Déorwyn thought as the tears kept flowing down her face,_ please, let it be._

Denethor descended from his high tower, and made his way down to the ground level, curious to see what had caused the commotion. He broke his way through the crowds, and said, "By order of the Steward, TELL ME WHAT HAS HAPPENED!" as he broke to where Faramir lay, he halted in his steps. "My boy," He said silently. " My Faramir! NO! What peril has taken him!?" he said. No one responded, still in shock from the scene playing out in front of them.

Déorwyn, still in the arms of Gandalf, opened her tear stained eyes, and rage rose again. There stood the man who sent both her beloved brothers to their death, and he had the audacity to demand what happened. She released herself from Gandalf, and charged after the real man responsible for the death of both of her brothers. She got closer to him and launched herself at him, hands going straight to his neck.

She knocked Denethor to the ground, and proceeded to choke him. "This is your doing! You sent him to fight to his death, you sent Boromir to his death! You EVIL man! You insane, evil man! It is not I who cursed this family, FATHER, it is YOU!" She screamed spitting out the word father.

He was turning purple, but was able to choke out, "SEIZE HER!" Doing as ordered, soldiers reluctantly took Déorwyn by her arms and legs and pried her off the Steward.

Through the commotion, Pippin kept screaming, "HE's NOT DEAD!" no one listened to him though.

"Take this cursed witch to the dungeon where I should have banished her when she was born!" Denethor said vehemently. He had no remorse for sending his daughter to jail, and it seemed that he had no feelings toward his son who lay dead on the stones. As she was dragged out of the entryway, she heard, " RELEASE THE PRISIONERS," from outside the city walls, the orc army was closer than ever now, and the soldiers had closed the gates. She could see rocks flying through the sky; a catapult had released them. When they landed, she screamed in sheer horror. They were not rocks at all, but the heads of the company Faramir set out with.

She was kicking and screaming, nothing, not even the powers of Gandalf could stop the soldiers from carrying her down to the dungeon. They forced her in a windowless cell, her only light being that of the small lantern on the table outside her cell. She could see the keys on the wall, but could not reach them.

She pulled her self to the back of the cage and held her legs close to her in a ball. She cried and cried, for her brother's deaths. She had no one in the world now to call family, no place to call home. For attacking the Steward, she would most likely be put to death, if Gandalf did not interfere. She knew with the wizard around it would not get that far.

The battle had begun. She could hear the fighting going on through the thin walls of the dungeon. She could hear the cries of men and orcs alike- very much like she had herd at Helms Deep. She tried to block them out again, but it didn't work, she kept hearing men dying outside. She continued to cry until she could not cry anymore. Hours went by, with no sign of the battle letting up. It sounded like buildings were being ripped down, and she feared for what actually was happing out there. Now more than ever she needed Eomer to come to her rescue. She wanted nothing more than to see him bolt into the dungeon and spring her from the cell. She wanted to be in his arms, safe, surrendering to his scent and feeling like she was in a different world- a perfectly safe world.

She heard a commotion outside her cell and went toward the light to see what was going on. Pippin ran briskly into the room, screaming her name.

"Déorwyn! Déorwyn!"

"Pippin!"

He came into the light and she could see the pain on his face.

"Pippin what is wrong!!!"

"Please, Déorwyn! Denethor, if possible, has gone madder. Faramir is not dead! I felt his pulse! Denethor is going to burn him alive!"

Without hesitation, she forgot the weakness and pity she had on herself a moment ago and stood up- a new courage sprouting in her from the seeds of rage that she had toward her father. "Pippin, you must get the key that is on the wall!"

"Milady, It is too high!"

"Push the table over there, Hurry Pip!" she yelled.

With all his strength, Pippin pushed the table over to the wall, jumped on in, and grabbed the keys. He leapt off the table and fumbled with them, trying to get the one that fit. Successfully, he got the right one, and sprung Déorwyn from her cell.

She grabbed him and kissed him on the cheek. "My hero!" she said. "Now come on!'

She grabbed the hobbit by the hand and bolted out of the dungeon and to a back staircase that led to the top of the city. She knew no fatigue as she bolted up the endless staircase. They reached the top, and she told Pippin to remain silent as she snuck across the bridge between the main house of the ruler, and the hall of the dead. They got to the door and without any sort of pause; Déorwyn broke in, seeing the Steward dowse himself and Faramir with oil. They sat upon a Pyre in the middle of the hall.

"NOO!" Déorwyn said, as the crazed man threw a torch down upon the pyre.

"SEIZE THEM!" The steward barked.

The soldiers came after her, and she motioned to Pippin to slip by. He ran and jumped on the pyre that had not yet caught fire. He was able to roll Faramir out of the middle of the pyre and on to the ground. Denethor screamed, "NO!" and threw Pippin to the ground as well. He was too late though. Faramir was safe, unharmed by the flames on the ground but Denethor's robes had caught. Because of the oil that was poured on him, his skin caught fire too. He screamed in pain and jumped off the wood and ran toward the exit. As he passed Déorwyn, she could smell his burning skin.

The steward kept running and eventually, fell off a cliff at the head of the city. Déorwyn let out a sigh of relief. The man who called her cursed was finally out of her life forever, never to torment her thoughts again.

She yelled, "GET OFF OF ME!" to the soldiers, who let her go, not knowing who to take orders from. Since Faramir was in his unconscious state, that left Déorwyn in charge to give orders.

"Get my brother to the house of healing!" she barked, and the soldiers did as they were told, extinguishing the fire and carrying her brother off to where he could be attended too.

At the house of healing, Déorwyn had Faramir placed on a cot, where she could get the oil cleaned off his skin. He began waking up, but Déorwyn forced her tea on him, and within a second, he was in deep sleep again. His forehead was damp from sweat; she deduced that he had a fever, more likely from infection. Pippin stayed with her, assisting with the cleansing process. She ripped at Faramir's shirt, and once it was off, she realized the severity of his arrow wound. A majority of the arrow had been removed, but the spear remained impaled in his skin, infection beginning around the edges of the wound.

"Pippin, go to the closet and get me the Athelas ointment, a chilled cloth and a warm cloth, " she said calmly.

She was continuing to examine the puncture, and was trying to figure out the best way to remove the spearhead. When Pippin returned with the ointment and clothes, she took the chilled one and put it on Faramir's forehead, trying to cool him off.

She decided that she just needed to get the spearhead out, and without any warning to neither Faramir nor Pippin, just yanked it out, eliciting a jerk from Faramir, and a small yell from Pippin. The wound started bleeding, and Pippin put the warmed cloth over it, applying pressure. After a few moments, the wound started to cauterize. Pippin removed the bloodied cloth, and Déorwyn applied the ointment to the outside skin that had been touched with infection. She dressed it, and got a new shirt for Faramir and got it on him.

He was now sleeping soundly; Déorwyn's work had saved him from a certain death from the infection. She stayed by his side, every now and again changing the chilled cloth that was on his forehead.

She could still hear the battle going on outside, and it didn't sound good. She could hear, as the gates to Minas Tirath were being forced open, orcs invading the first tier of the city. She hoped that the women and children had made it to safety within the mountains behind the city.

As morning broke, she heard another noise, which was out of character for Mordor. A valiant horn broke through the stagnant air. Curiosity getting the best of her, Déorwyn raced toward the main garden outside the hall because it had a perfect view over the field.

She could not believe her eyes. Stretching over the western front were thousands of armed men upon horses. _The Rohirrim!_ She screamed in her head. A man was riding his horse up and down the line, rising energy in the troops. Though she could not hear what he was saying, she knew King Théoden was having an impact, as the men were obviously ready and roused to charge on the dark army. The men started yelling as the charge broke out, gaining cheers from the soldiers form the Gondorian army.

Déorwyn, who typically hated watching battle scenes, could not pull her eyes away. Though on the highest level of the city, she could feel the vibrations from the horses charging down the field. She found herself cheering. As she looked down at the field, she could see the Orcs retreat, fearing the wrath that was about to be had on them.

Through the craziness on the field, Déorwyn was astonished when she could pick out one man, his helmet unmistakable. Eomer was slashing back and forth with his spear, killing as many as he could, he seemed invincible. She smiled with pride, and continued intently watching.

She looked around, but couldn't find anyone resembling Aragon, Legolas or Gimli. It was a vast battle field, they had to be amidst it somewhere.

The Gondorian army, though had been hit hard from the first wave of Mordor's attack, regained their spirits and were fighting extra hard to rid the city of the Orc vermin that had now broken through to the second level.

Pippin joined Déorwyn at her lookout spot and said, " My! King Théoden did answer!"

"Yes, Pippin, and we are lucky he did! The Orcs are afraid of the rage in their eyes, and they have lightened the spirits of the soldiers here."

"Do you suppose Merry will be with them?"

"He is a brave hobbit, as you all are. I'm sure if he isn't here, he wanted to be!" She knew that Merry would not be allowed, for his own safety, to participate in the battle.

A strong thumping sound in the distance broke Déorwyn from her happy state, shaking the ground beneath her. She turned around and looked off to the east to something she had never seen before. A line of gigantic, four legged animals were paraded from the east, carrying men in tent like structures on their backs. Their foreign horns and battle cries caused everyone, men and orc alike to stop in their tracks and look off to the east.

The animals were bigger than any living thing Déorwyn had ever seen. Their ears were the size of the small house and they had long noses that reached down to the ground. They had tusks too- equipped with prickly wire. As they came closer to the battle action, the driver began forcefully swinging ropes back and forth, causing the animals to move their head. This resulted in the tusks whipping back and forth along with the head, wiping out everything in their paths.

The orcs were retreating now, but it was merely to get out of their way. These animals and people atop them were not on the side of good.

"What are they!?" Pippin asked.

"I am not sure, my friend, I have not see-"

"They are the Mumakil. They come from the Far East, as mercenaries of Sauron. As we speak, the ships from the south are coming up the river. This battle is still not won." Gandalf said, approaching them.

"Can we win, Mithrandir?" Déorwyn asked.

"We sure won't go down without a fight" The wizard responded.

He was right. Déorwyn looked down on the field to see Théoden forming the men into formation again to take on the Mumakil. She felt sorry for the animals. Without their heavy armor and weaponry, they looked peaceful and even, quite possibly cute.

"Gandalf, are those animals bred for killing?" she asked.

"No, in nature, they are known as Oliphant. The Haradrim break them and beat them into submission and use them for killing. I believe our friend, Samwise Gamgee has a soft spot for the legendary creatures, I would not want him to see them like this." The wizard said.

Nazgul swept into the picture now too, atop their dragons. They were picking up and throwing any man they could get their hands on. Their scream piercing through the air.

Déorwyn looked back down as the Rohirrim charged against the animals. To her liking, they were not aiming to directly harm the animals, only to kill those atop them. She caught glimpse of Eomer again, set apart from his men, going head to head with a Mumak, spear in hand. She grasped Pippin's shoulder, nervous for what was going to happen next. With perfect precision, Eomer stopped his horse, Firefoot, and launched his spear through the air, impaling the driver. The driver eventually fell off the head of the Oliphant and caused it to run into another animal, ultimately causing a domino effect with four others.

The three atop Minas Tirath yelled out in rejoice. Only five more stood between the soldiers and victory. Until, Pippin spotted a fleet of dark ships coming up the river. They stopped right before the bridge.

"We are going to need more men." Gandalf said grimly.

As if on cue, a man, unmistakable in his token attire, jumped out of the ship and onto the land. A short dwarf and a blonde elf followed him.

"The man did it." Gandalf said under his breath.

"Did what?" Pippin asked.

"Just you watch, Perrigrin Took!"

Their three comrades rushed toward the orcs in front of them. Before Déorwyn could think them crazy, a green mist seeped out of the ships, forming an army of ghost like creatures who left no enemy alive as they swiftly moved across the field.

"I believe the day is ours. The king has summoned the great army of the dead!" Gandalf said.

"King Théoden is a mighty man!" Pippin said.

"Not Théoden, but Aragon." Gandalf corrected. Déorwyn smiled wider than she ever had before. Victory was theirs. The army of the dead swept across the field, taking out the Mumakil and Orcs. They drove out the orcs from the tiers of the White City, and slaughtered them on the fields of Pelenor.

"Yes, victory is ours." Gandalf said. "Now Déorwyn, my child. Go to the house of healing and prepare it for the wounded!"

Without hesitation, Déorwyn took one last glance at the field, and rushed off to the healing house to ready it for the wounded as Gandalf asked.

There, she checked on Faramir again. He was still asleep, but he wasn't sweating anymore. His fever had broken. She propped him up with a few more pillows, and readied a side table with water for when he awoke. She made sure that her tea was brewed and that there were enough healers on hand for the first wave of wounded soldiers.

Within five minutes, men were being carried in, and the house became hectic. There were ghastly wounds. Men had limbs crushed, cut or even removed. There were many arrow wounds as well. Unfortunately, they were not able to save everyone; some men were beyond saving when they were brought in. If in the event they did pass in the healing house, they were brought down the hall to the house of the dead.

With Pippin at her side, Déorwyn went from cot to cot, examining the wounds and doing quick work to get them healed. The other healers were running about trying to save everyone. She kept an eye out for her friends though, hoping they did not get injured in any way.

"Make way for King Théoden!" she herd from outside. Anxious, she went into the hall to greet the great man. The hallway was silent though. Instead of seeing the King walking, greeting the people of Gondor, he was being carried in a somber procession by his Rohirrim- dead. Déorwyn let out a gasp when he was carried past the house of healing to the house of the dead. She was at a loss for words.

Before she could dwell on King Théoden's death for too long, she heard a man screaming from down the hall.

"HELP! PLEASE! MY SISTER!!!" it was oddly familiar. Déorwyn turned to see who was producing the noise.

Her eyes grew wide when she saw it was Eomer. She ran toward him, but was stopped when she realized just who was in his arms. Eowyn.

"Déorwyn!" Eomer shouted, running to her.

Without question, Déorwyn said, "No time for questioning, bring her into the house."

"I found her lying by my uncle's body. Her pulse is faint!" He said as he carried Eowyn into the house, settling her on at cot to the right of Faramir. She was shivering, although unconscious. Her rosy complexion was now whiter than the sheets she lay on. She was dressed in soldier attire.

Without looking at him, she quickly removed the armor she was wearing. She was not moving, and Eomer was right, her pulse was faint.

"Eowyn! Come to my voice!" Déorwyn begged of her friend. "Why would you allow her to fight!" she yelled at Eomer.

He couldn't argue back, now with his sister dying in front of her. "I was not aware she joined. She accompanied the men to the first camp on the outskirts of Rohan, as tradition holds, but she was to remain there and come when a messenger said it was safe!" he got down on his knees and held Eowyn's hand. Pippin came to the cot and gasped when he was the Lady Eowyn in the state she was in.

"Is she going to be ok?" he asked

"I do not know, Pippin." Déorwyn answered.

"I would only assume that your hobbit friend, Merry, followed with Eowyn, we forbade him from fighting." Eomer said.

"Where is he!?" Pippin yelled.

"I know not, he was not around my sister when I found her."

Without any sort of word where he was going, Pippin bolted out of the house of healing to find Merry.

Déorwyn was examining Eowyn's body closely; she went over her head, her chest, her abdomen, her right arm- but nothing. She found her answer when she went to hold Eowyn's left arm. It was limp, almost as if all the bone had been turned to mush. The skin had been turned black, and there was a gash in her upper arm.

"Oh no." Déorwyn said softly, hoping Eomer would not hear her.

"What! What is wrong!?" Eomer asked impatiently.

"This is beyond my skill level. An immortal blade has infected her. I need Aragon."

Without a word, Eomer raced out of the house to fetch Aragon. Déorwyn stayed at Eowyn's side, trying to keep her alive. Her forehead was hot, and she cooled it with a chilled cloth. Within minutes, Eomer returned with Aragon. He didn't even say a word, he just got to work.

"So this is who slain the Witch King." Aragon said. He asked nothing of why Eowyn was there, he just knew she had to be healed. Eomer sat at her side, looking quite scared. Déorwyn took a second to look him over, he did not seem harmed in any way physically from battle. Aragon continued, "Déorwyn, do you have any Athelas?"

"Aye, in an ointment."

"I need the weed itself, untainted. Do you have any?"

"I must check" she said, as she rushed off to the supply closet. To her relief, there was a small amount left. She ran it back to Aragon, who thanked her and took the weed into his mouth. He chewed it and placed it in her wound. As soon as it touched her skin, some color came back into Eowyn's cheeks. He pushed the weed further into the wound and wrapped it with a bandage. He cleaned off her forehead with water, and pressed his hand over it. He started speaking in a foreign tongue of elfish, which Déorwyn did not understand.

"Call to her, Eomer." Aragon finally said.

"Eowyn, sweet sister, come back to me. I cannot loose you. Not now." Eomer said, voice quivering. Déorwyn thought she could see a tear fall from his eye.

Eowyn moved a bit, as the blackness drained from her arm. She still lay unconscious. "She will make it." Aragon said, "The poison did not have enough time to latch onto her soul, She is very lucky you brought her in when you did."

Eomer was relieved. He let a breath go, and grabbed Aragon into a hug. "Thank you, friend." he said.

"Thank Déorwyn, for if she did not recognize the wound we would all be in trouble." Aragon said.

Eomer looked right at Déorwyn. They stood in awkward silence for what seemed like forever. Eomer spoke first, simply, saying, "Thank you" very silently.

Déorwyn did not know what to do nor say. She nodded her head in acceptance, and was thankful when she heard a voice behind her.

"What is going on?" said a faint voice.

Déorwyn turned, and saw Faramir awake. "Brother!" she exclaimed and kneeled at his bedside. "Oh Faramir, I thought I lost you." She said as she stroked his face, and hugged him.

"I told you I would come back." He said weakly.

"You almost didn't for a second." Déorwyn responded.

"What do you mean?" Faramir asked. Déorwyn told him all about how came back unconscious, dragged by a horse, and how Denethor tried to burn him alive. "I knew the man had gone crazy! Oh, Déorwyn, sister, I am sorry you had to go through this alone. Where is the lunatic now?"

"I was not alone, I had Pippin and Gandalf. And that Lunatic caught himself afire and ran off the cliff." She said quite cheerfully. Faramir did not say anything, only guided her head down to his lips to place a kiss on her forehead. He looked sideways, and asked, "And who might this beautiful lady be?"

"This is Lady Eowyn, nice of the king of Rohan." She said, then noticed Eomer was still at Eowyn's bedside. " And this, is Eomer, her brother, Third Marshall of the Riddermark." Eomer got up and went to Faramir.

"My lord Faramir, it is an honor to meet you. I have herd much about you from your rather interesting sister." He was right behind Déorwyn. She blushed a bit.

"And I have been told many stories about you! The hobbit Pippin gave his approval!" Faramir said, still weak.

"The hobbit is an admirable friend. I hope you a quick and painless recovery." Eomer said.

"Thank you, friend."

Eomer returned to Eowyn's bedside. Déorwyn looked at Faramir, who shot her a look saying _"I approve of him!"_ and she slapped his arm. He gave a little chuckle.

Déorwyn looked over to Eomer, who was pushing the hair out of Eowyn's face. He glanced at Déorwyn, and once their eyes met, she quickly moved her gaze away.

Aragon came back over to them, after tending to other injuries.

"Aragon, this is my brother, Faramir. Faramir, this is Aragon, son of Arathon." Déorwyn introduced.

"Faramir it is good to see you alive."

"And you, my king." Faramir responding, not missing the connection between Aragon and Arathon, making him rightful heir of the thrown of men.

Aragon nodded and said, "If you are well enough, I must call together my fellowship, you and lord Eomer for a council."

"When" Eomer asked.

"Right away." Aragon responded.

"Aragon, I don't think Faramir is read-" Déorwyn started.

"I am fine, sister. Just get me a wheelchair for precaution." Faramir stated. She nodded, and fetched a chair for her brother, who shakily got up on his feet, and melted right into the chair.

Déorwyn could see that Eomer did not want to leave Eowyn's side. "Eomer, she will be safe under my care. Go to the council. You still have your duties. I will get you if anything is to happen, which I don't think it will. I hope to move her to the spare room in my chamber in a few hours."

"Thank you, Déorwyn." He said again. As he got up to leave, Déorwyn called to him again.

"And Eomer," she said, he turned, a hopeful look in his eye, " I am so sorry about your uncle."

"Thank you." He said, and left the house of healing, pushing Faramir in the wheelchair.

For hours, Déorwyn looked over Eowyn, making sure that she did not fall under a fever. Thankfully she didn't, and woke up.

"Where am I?" she said faintly.

"You are in Minas Tirath in the house of healing. The Witch King's blade wounded you. I am told you killed him!"

"Yes, my friend. My uncle was not so lucky." She said, tears welling in her eyes.

"He is in a better place now, Eowyn. He died with honor." Déorwyn said, comforting.

"Yes. Yes he is" she said.

"Eowyn, what made you do it? What made you go and risk your life fighting?"

"I had to. I couldn't stay, caged up in Edoras, not knowing if my family and friends would die. They were men short and not using me would be a waste of a blade. I am proud that I came." Eowyn said.

"And I am proud of you, my shield maiden friend." Eowyn smiled weakly, and sat up a bit, struggling to get comfortable.

"Eowyn let me have you moved to my chambers. There is a spare room there for you and you can rest atop a bed."

Eowyn nodded, and Déorwyn helped her in to a wheel chair and brought her to her chambers. She helped Eowyn into a nightgown and into the bed, where she quickly went to sleep again.

Déorwyn, herself, changed into a different dress. One that was clean. Her riding dress had been dirtied from the mud of the dungeon, and blood from the wounded. She threw it out, never having to see it again. she herd a knock on her door.

She went to open it, finding Faramir there in his wheel chair.

"My sister, I bring word from the great hall. As we speak, the remaining Rohirrim and Gondorian soldiers are marching upon the black gates of Mordor. Your friends did not want to say good bye to you in person, knowing they could not leave you if you broke down and, I quote master Gimli when he said, "the lass is to stubborn and has the power to talk us out of anything."" Déorwyn laughed, and understood that she could not deal with her friends leaving. She knew that they would comeback. "I don't know what kinds of bonds you made while you were gone, but I am happy for you. They all seem effected by you- Aragon, Legolas, Gimli, Gandalf, Pippin Merry and Lord Eomer."

"The hobbits are to fight!?"

"They would not move from the exit until we allowed it. They fight for Frodo and Sam."

"And you?"

"I am too weak. Aragon has installed me as Steward until he comes back."

"Will they come back?"

"They told me to tell you that they would come back." She smiled, even if they didn't she could still be proud of her friends. "And I bring personal message from Lord Eomer." She listened up, "He said, he is sorry for everything, and hopes that you can forgive him. I don't know what he did, Déorwyn, but I think you should. He is a good man." Faramir said with a wink.

"Yes, Yes." She said blushing.

"I must go to the great hall. There is much to do."

She nodded as he left her room. She went to her balcony that overlooked Mordor. She could see her friends as they led the armies out of Minas Tirath to the Black Gates.


	14. Waiting

**Waiting**

Déorwyn stood on her balcony for a while, watching as the soldiers passed over the bridge and out of sight. She was worried that they didn't have enough men to fight all of Mordor- she was certain of it. Faramir explained to her that it was for a diversion; hopefully they could divert Sauron's attention to them whilst Frodo and Sam destroyed the ring in Mount Doom.

It would only take the company an hour to ride to the gate, but they were to camp and develop a plan of attack. She hoped that, if successful, that she would see her friends again in two or three days time, but she couldn't be sure. She did not want to think about the future when the present was so uncertain.

Mordor had suffered a great loss on the Pelenor Fields, and it was becoming apparent that the forces of the evil land were now becoming scared that they could quite possibly loose the war. Déorwyn could feel Mordor getting weaker. As she looked up into the sky, she could see stars through the thinning layer of smoke. The moon shone brightly through the veil and slightly illuminated the city, making it look truly beautiful as she remembered it as a child. She remembered the poems Faramir used to improvise about the city- the beauty of the buildings and the richness and romance of their history. She could also remember the clever one-liners Boromir would produce that fit right into Faramir's verses.

She smiled to herself remembering these things. She felt hope again, happy days were in store for her.

She got into her nightgown and went to bed, and fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time since she left Rohan.

In the morning she rose well rested. She went directly into Eowyn's room to find her awake and sitting in a reading chair by the great window.

"How do you fare today, Eowyn?" Déorwyn asked as she went close to her friend to check he wound.

"Better than yesterday. I still can't gasp anything well with my left arm."

"Wounds from immortal weapons take time to heal. Though you are lucky Aragon could get all the poison out, if any remained in there, it is likely that you would loose all use of that arm."

"Thank you. I don't know what I would have done had you not been there." Eowyn said, taking her friends hand to lead her around to face her.

"'Twas not just I, but the efforts of several people. I am thankful that you are alive!" Déorwyn said as she hugged Eowyn lightly.

Déorwyn removed the soiled bandages and redressed the wound in silence. When she was finished, she said, "Now, what say we grab some breakfast? I know Faramir will be more than happy to join our company. Lets get you dressed."

"I would like that very much." Eowyn responded, pale cheeks turning a slight shade of red.

Déorwyn noticed this, but kept her comments to herself. Now was not the time to force anything upon her friend and her brother.

They dressed and made their way to the dining room. Faramir was already there, picking his food from the buffet spread that was presented on the table.

"Good morning, ladies." Faramir greeted.

"Morning, brother" Déorwyn greeted and kissed him on the cheek. "I don't believe that you two have been properly introduced- Faramir, this is my very good friend, Eowyn, Sister to Eomer. Eowyn, this is my older brother, Faramir."

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, milady. I hope you are feeling better? I regret the first time I laid eyes on you, you were moments from your deathbed, but-" Faramir said, rambling on.

Eowyn cut in, "I am very well, my lord. I do hope your reasons for being in the house of healing are better as well." Her cheeks were turning red hot.

"Aye, the arrow wound in my shoulder is healing rather nicely."

"That is very good to hear."

The three stood there for a moment, Faramir and Eowyn looking intently at each other while Déorwyn stood between them, glancing back and forth, noticing the attraction between her brother and friend. She smiled at the potential thought of Eowyn being her sister.

Déorwyn broke the silence by saying, "Shall we eat?"

"Ah yes, of course." Faramir said, as he pulled out a chair for Eowyn to sit in next to him. He offered his hand, which she gratefully took, and he led her to it. Déorwyn took her usual seat, which sat right across the table from Eowyn and Faramir.

They sat through breakfast and talked about stories from their past to entertain each other. Eowyn remained quiet for a vast majority of the meal, listening and laughing at Déorwyn and Faramir as they revisitied their childhood. She did not want to interrupt as the two spent some quality time together.

"Is it sad that I don't miss father at all?" Faramir asked at one point.

"From my standpoint, absolutely not. The man was a villain to me. He never wanted me near anything having to do with you or Boromir. I think it sad though, that he did treat you as a son, but never showed it. He was too hard on you and to quick to give Boromir praise he did not always deserve. I wish he had gone to Rivendell instead of Boromir. I wish he had died in our brother's place." Déorwyn responded vehemently. "No, brother. It is not sad that you do not miss him."

"I thought so." Faramir said, smiling a bit.

"Excuse me," Eowyn said. " I feel tired again and I think I will retire for an hour or two just to get my strengh up."

Faramir was oblivious, but Déorwyn knew something else was going on in Eowyn's mind.

"If it pleases you, milady, could I escort you about the city later? Surely you have not had a proper tour?" Faramir asked.

"I would like that very much, my lord." Faramir smiled. " Until then."

Faramir looked at Déorwyn after Eowyn had left the room. " I should go after her, something is not right." Déorwyn said, and got up and went after her.

As she caught up to her at her quarters, she could see tears began to fall down Eowyn's face, and as soon as Déorwyn caught glimpse of them, she knew exactly what they were for.

"Oh, Eowyn, I am so sorry. I did not mean to talk about death with the passing of your uncle still so near."

"It is alright my friend. It pains me though, that you talk about the death of the man who gave you life with no remorse."

"Forgive me Eowyn, but you do not know what it is like growing up with a father who thinks the ground you walk upon is cursed. Who thinks that you cause every death in your family. Had it not been for Faramir and Boromir's love for me, I would have been far gone- either dead or living in an orphanage. But Eowyn, I can't even begin to think about how you must be feeling right now after loosing the man who treated you like a daughter."

"I feel alone"

"Eowyn, you have me! And you have Eome-"

"Yes, but how do I know if he is going to be alive once this battle ends? I have lost everyone in my family, Déorwyn, everyone. Eomer is all I have left and loosing him would be the end of me!"

"Eowyn, I know how you feel. But a day ago, I thought Faramir dead. I never felt so alone in my entire life!"

"But you have all those men who would gladly die than see you left uncared for."

"And you don't think they would do the same for you?"

"Defiantly not. Lord Aragon made it perfectly clear that he had no feelings toward me in any way other than plutonic. And-"

"Waite, since when did you have feelings fro Aragon!?" Déorwyn asked, surprised.

"It does not matter. Yes, I felt love for him after our brief encounters, but they were just infatuation. It is over now."

"Its only because his heart belongs to another. Do not take it personally. I'm quite sure that your chance with love is closer than you think" Déorwyn said, grateful that their conversation had quickly turned from death to girl talk.

"If you speak of your brother, Faramir, than I will not deny that I am attracted to him. let that be known." Eowyn said, smiling as wide as she could, wiping the tears from her face.

"That is what I admire about you, Eowyn. You are not afraid to just come right out with your feelings, making them known to all. You are not embarrassed by how you feel."

"And you are?"

"Obviously."

They sat in silence for a moment, as they each collected their thoughts on how the conversation should go.

"You have to know that it broke his heart to see you ride off." Eowyn said softly

"Hmm?"

"Eomer went very grouchy after you left- like a part of him was stolen from him."

"Then why wouldn't he just come right out and tell me how he felt. I'm sure whatever it was that came up between us could have been solved if he just told me how he felt."

"Because he is a proud soldier."

"So pride is holding him back from me?"

"I mean no offence, Déorwyn, but you didn't exactly tell him how you felt before you left. You both are proud, stubborn people. You work brilliantly together- no better match had I ever hoped for my brother- but you both need to break through your pride and just tell each other how you feel. Have you even said it outloud to anyone? Your feelings I mean?"

Déorwyn knew Eowyn was right. She had been prepared once before to tell Eomer that she wanted to be with him, but that was the night that everything came crumbling down.

"If you say it to me, it may make it easier to say to him later!"

"How do you figure!"

"I don't know, I just think you need to hear it come out of your lips to truly believe it!" Déorwyn was silent, not convinced that Eowyn's theory made sense. "I swear," Eowyn continued, "If neither of you says anything about it once he gets back, I am going to do it for you. And you wont like how I will do it."

Déorwyn laughed. She knew Eowyn could be embarrassing, and she wanted her conversation with Eomer to be private- not to include the entirety of Minas Tirath. "Alright! Ill say it. I love him. I love Eomer!" She felt a weight lifted off of her. Eowyn was right. The moment it came out of her lips, she truly believed it. Any doubts she had before now flew out the window.

Eowyn beamed. She smiled even wider than when Faramir had offered her his hand at breakfast. "I always wanted a sister!"

"Either way- Eomer or no Eomer, we would still be sisters, I feel!"

Blushing, Eowyn said, "I hope you right."

They giggled for a bit, and went on to talk about what they hoped their futures had in store for them.

Déorwyn was thinking about Eomer. She thought of what Pippin had told her, and what Eowyn had just said. A part of her wanted to know what Eomer told Eowyn about his feelings and intentions. "Eowyn, what did Eomer say?"

"What did Eomer say when?"

"When I left. You said he was grouchy, what do you mean by that?"

"Well, I didn't know that you left that morning- don't worry I forgive you- and Eomer came storming into my room yelling at me for not trying to stop you from going."

"but how could you have known? You weren't there when it was decided!"

"Yes, I told him that. I also told him everything I just told you- that you both are proud and should just say it."

"and what did he say?"

"Now, that I will not tell you."

"And why not!!" Déorwyn wanted so much to hear that Eomer actually said it.

"It is not my place! He will be back in a few days time. I think you will know then."

"Fine! You are cruel, Eowyn!" Déorwyn said jokingly.

"I am well aware."

Not long after, there was a knock on the door. Immediately, almost knowing who was behind it, Eowyn bolted into her guest bedroom. Déorwyn laughed and went to open the door. Faramir stood there, looking rather handsome.

"You changed, brother!" she poked.

"Yes, I had a stain on my shirt from breakfast."

"Liar, you just want to impress Eowyn! Well I can assure you, brother, I don't know what you did but you have already made a great impression on her!"

Faramir stood there, a smile playing on his lips, "I don't know what you talk of, sister."

"Right. I assume that you are here for her then- to take her on the tour you promised her?"

"Yes. Can you tell her I am here?"

"Of course brother."

Déorwyn went into Eowyn's room, to find her franticly looking though the closet of dresses Déorwyn had brought up for her. She went over to her friend, and calmed her hands, and picked out a beautiful deep purple dress for Eowyn. Eowyn put it on and, just as Déorwyn suspected, she looked lovely. It matched her hair color perfectly.

"Now, go learn about some Gondorian history!" Déorwyn said, ushering Eowyn out of the room into the sitting area where Faramir had made himself comfortable. He immediately jumped up when the two ladies entered.

"My, you look beautiful," he said breathlessly.

"Thank you my lord." Eowyn responded.

Faramir, without a word, went to her side and offered her his arm, which she gladly took. "Shall we?"

They began to walk out of the door before Eowyn turned and asked Déorwyn, "What will you do all day?"

Hesitantly answering- for she had not givin her day much though- Déorwyn replied, "I think I will go to the house of healing to check on the soldiers. You two go and have fun!"

They nodded and left her quarters. As they walked down the hall, Déorwyn could hear Eowyn laughing at Faramir as he talked about little facts about the city. Déorwyn could not be more pleased at the match. She just wished Eomer would return unharmed soon so that she could tell him her true feelings out loud before her pride got the best of her again.

In the house of healing, she checked on the soldiers. She cleaned wounds, changed bandages and gave out medicine. She spent the whole day there, and left at suppertime. She just popped into the kitchen, and had a simple meal before retiring to her quarters.

The next morning came and the day passed like day before. Déorwyn had breakfast with Eowyn and Faramir, and then spent time at the house of healing while Faramir continued to impress Eowyn. She would retire to her quarters at night and spend time on her balcony looking out toward Mordor, waiting for a sign from the battlefront.

On the morning of the third day, she awoke in her usual manner, and woke Eowyn for breakfast. At the table, the three ate in a comfortable silence. All of a sudden, the sky turned completely black.

"A storm is coming" Eowyn said, referring to the battle.

Faramir bolted to the window to see what was going on. The darkness was letting up, and a great crashing noise was heard in the distance. "Or, it is just ending." He said, as Eowyn and Déorwyn rushed to his side. They stared for a brief moment, and Faramir continued, "Come with me".

They rushed out of the dining hall and into the court in front of the main hall. They rushed to the edge and they could see the smoke and smog fading. Déorwyn looked off toward Mordor and could see dust rising up against the mountain border. Then, the sun's rays pierced the ending dark cloud and blue skies could be finally seen. They sky was so clear that for the first time in her entire life, Déorwyn could see Mount Doom off in the distance, erupting with hot molten lava.

"Frodo has succeeded!?" Déorwyn asked.

The other two were in awe of what was happening. None of them had ever in their life seen what was in front of them. "I believe so." Faramir calmly said, although excitement was oozing out of his expression.

They stood looking for a moment, before Eowyn exclaimed, "Look! Down by the bridge!"

Déorwyn looked down at the bridge and saw a soldier on horseback racing toward the city. "Faramir, it's a messenger!"

The three rushed down the streets of Minas Tirath to greet the messenger. The inhabitants of the city were all out of their houses looking out onto the scene, each questioning what it meant. Faramir nor Déorwyn would say anything to them until they got the final word from the messenger.

They reached the entrance, and the messenger was there, begging for someone to get Faramir.

"My boy, I am here!" Faramir said. The soldier could not have been a day over sixteen.

"Captain Faramir! I mean, My lord Steward, forgive me my lord!" the soldier shouted nervously.

"Its alright boy! Now tell me, what news from the battle field." Faramir questioned.

"My lord. The Tower of Barad-dur has fallen! The ring of power has been destroyed!"

Before Faramir could even respond, an eruption of cheers broke out among the entire city of Minas Tirath. Eowyn and Faramir hugged and a woman who was standing close by quickly swept Déorwyn into an embrace.

The soldier dismounted and went to Faramir. "Soldier, when can we be expecting the troops and how many are wounded and killed?" Faramir asked.

"It has been a miracle. Only minor injuries and no dead. They did not even stay to recon the area, all the orcs and evils from inside of the black gates were trampled by the rubble from the downfall of the tower. They ride hard for this city and should be here within the hour."

Another eruption of cheers started up again.

"Raise the white flags. We must welcome our troops home with every grain of gratitude that we here possess." Faramir told the messenger.

"Of course, my lord."

Déorwyn, Eowyn and Faramir made their way back up to the main hall. There, they had another celebration of the win. Faramir called for the best wine in all of Gondor to be waiting for all the soldiers when they arrived. Déorwyn immediately looked at her dress- a typical everyday riding dress- and knew she had to change. She did not want to look ordinary when the victorious soldiers arrived home.

She made her way to her chamber, and found a dark blue and silver dress to wear. It looked like the dress that Eowyn lent her the first night in Edoras- the one Eomer had told her she looked beautiful in. She threw it on and twisted her hair into a loose formation and pinned it.

Her nerves were building up again, and she went to her balcony to wait for the men to return. She did not have to wait long because off in the distance she could see the army of men about to cross the bridge.

She rushed out of her room and to he court outside the great hall. She found Faramir and Eowyn along with other nobles of Gondor lining the entryway to the hall. They only had to wait a few moments before they could hear, yet again, the people of Minas Tirath cheering home their heroes.

As they passed through each level of the city, men broke off to see their families. The fellowship led the pack and made their way up to the top tier. Déorwyn could hear people cheering and greeting Aragon as their king. She looked to Faramir, who was beaming with pride.

"You will not be jealous that Aragon will rule Gondor and not you?" She asked. She never had a discussion with her brother about his new title.

"No, Déorwyn. Gondor has waited a long time for the king to step forward. I would love nothing more than to be ally and council to Aragon."

Déorwyn smiled. She gripped her brother's hand and squeezed it tight. He pulled her close and kissed her hairline.

A great horn announced the arrival of the army leaders. The first person Déorwyn saw was Aragon. He walked down the walkway, and stopped right before Faramir.

"Steward, I bring to you great tidings from the battle front. We have been victorious."

"Congratulations my king. Gondor will be in good hands." Then clasped each others arms and Faramir brought him into an embrace. Aragon moved down the line and stood right in front of Déorwyn. Without a word, Déorwyn threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Aragon chuckled and hugged her back.

"Did you miss us, little one?" Aragon asked.

"Of course Aragon!"

"We all have missed you too." He said, as he moved aside to make way for Legolas, who Déorwyn greeted with the same embrace. As each member came, she met them with the same enthusiasm. Merry and Pippin were so excited to see her that they almost knocked her over. Gandalf was the last to meet her and as she hugged him, she asked, "Frodo and Sam, did they make it?"

"I know not, they have passed out of my sight. I must leave this instant with the king of the eagles to scout Mt. Doom."

"Good luck then Gandalf."

Gandalf went toward the edge of the level and mounted the eagle awaiting him, and flew off accompanied by two other birds.

Once again, Déorwyn found herself welcoming back all of her friends, save one. Eomer had not come to the welcoming. She approached Legolas who was standing off to the side with Gimli.

"Legolas, where is Eomer?" she asked.

"I know not. He entered the city with us, but fell behind."

Without a second going by, Déorwyn was tapped on the shoulder.

"Lady Déorwyn, forgive me for interrupting." It was Hama.

"No worries, Hama, what can I do for you?"

"I have special request that you come to the house of healing."

"By whose request?" She asked, already having a feeling that it was Eomer.

"I think you know who." He said, as he turned and walked toward the house of healing. Déorwyn followed, not knowing why Eomer would be in the house of healing when there weren't any major injuries.

As they entered, she saw that every bed was filled, but only with bumps, bruises and some gashes. She did not see Eomer though.

"He is back here." Hama said, and led her to a private room in the back.

_Of course he would want to be treated in private._ She thought, remembering how he hated having his wounds tended too.

"I must warn you though. Eomer did not ask for you, I know that you helped him last time and I thought you could help since he wont let anyone fuss over it."

_Oh, great._ She thought. as she approached the room, she oculd hear Eomer inside of it.

"No, I do not need all of this, I just need the bandage changed!" he said, pleading with the healers.

"but my lord, it is bleeding heavily."

"It will be fine!" he said.

Hama knocked on the door and heard Eomer from inside say, "Enter."

Hama opened the door, and allowed Déorwyn to enter first. She took in a sharp breath. Eomer lay on the great bed, shirt off. His wound reopened, and ripped the skin on the outer edges, making the wound bigger. She had a hard time between analyzing the cut and staring at his bare, sculpted chest.

"Hama! I told you not to bring her here!" Eomer shouted.

"My lord Eomer, you must have that dealt with! And since you wont let the healers touch it, I felt that Lady Déorwyn could be of some service."

"Eomer, Let me stitch it up again, it will only take a moment." Déorwyn said, inching her way into the room.

"That is not necessary, Lady Déorwyn." Eomer said curtly. This was the most stubborn she had ever seen him, and she found it rather cute.

"Hama, go get me a cup of my tea for him." Déorwyn said softly to the Rohirrim Captain. Hama left, leaving Déorwyn and Eomer alone in the room.

She moved closer to him and said, "You know that I'm not leaving till that wound is tended to."

"I figured. You are very stubborn."

"As you are too."

Eomer laughed. Hearing him laugh made her heart sing. Butterflies filled her stomach as she walked over to the small table next to the bed to prepare a wash and dressing.

Hama quickly returned with a cup of Déorwyn's tea for Eomer. She thanked him, and told him that he was no longer needed. She knew Eomer would relax more with out anyone else in the room. She went toward Eomer hesitantly. He was lying on the left side of the bed, and his wound was on the right side of his body. She would have to reach over his bare chest to clean the wound.

"Eomer, this is going to be an awkward position for me to clean this wound, I"

"Then get on the bed." He said, staring at her right in the eye. She immediately blushed, knowing that it was extremely inappropriate to be on a bed with a man who was not your husband.

Knowing her, Eomer looked her in the eye and said, "Déorwyn, its not like you haven't undressed me and tended to my wound, and slept in the same room with me before. Nothing happened then, and I will keep my word that nothing will happen now. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you, Eomer. Its just that-"

"Put any worries aside, my friend, and kneel next to me."

She couldn't come up with any valid reason not to, so she climbed up on the bed and knelt next to him.

"First, drink this tea, it helps heal the wound." She said, again not divulging that it also promotes sleep. He downed the hot liquid and placed the cup on the nightstand. He put his free hand behind his head to make himself comfortable. _Gods he is gorgeous_ she thought, and immediately made herself cleaning the wound.

"What happened this time?"

"Well, the stitches popped during the Pelenor battle."

"Eomer! Why did you not tell me! I could have stitched it back up!"

"Déorwyn, I think we both know that it was not the time for either of us to be worried about someone other than our siblings, besides I am fine." She gave him an annoyed look, and he laughed as he continued. " as I was saying, it opened back up at Pelenor and the movement on horseback and fighting just aggravated it more."

"Well I'm glad I can help now." She said.

It was silent for a while. Déorwyn was intently stitching the wound back up and Eomer did not want to distract her. He also was thinking of something to say. He felt him self grow drowsier.

He went to speak, "Déorwyn, I needs to explaine myself" he said, barely making sense. His words became slurred together.

Déorwyn laughed, knowing that the tea was making him drowsy and he needed to sleep it off. "shhh Eomer, you must rest, we can talk come morning."

"yessss cwrom mowrning" he said, and his eyelids closed. He was passed out. Déorwyn laughed at him and finished stitching up his wound.

She wondered what he would say to her. one thing was for sure, she knew what she had to say to him. She wanted to make sure she knew how sad she was when he dismissively let her go her last day in Edoras, and she wanted him to know how much she missed him when she was gone. She wanted him to know how much she cared for and loved him.

"Yes, Eomer, in the morning." She said, and placed a small kiss on his temple. She stayed by his side until she saw three large birds land at the balcony of the house of healing, carrying a wizard and two small packages in their grasps.

Déorwyn gasped when she saw the state that the two other hobbits were in.


	15. Celebrations

**Celebrations**

Frodo and Sam lay lifeless in the talons of the eagle's arms. Déorwyn ran out of the house of healing toward them. If she hadn't known it was them, she would not be able to recognize either due to the dirt, ash and sweat that had caked itself on to their faces and clothes. Frodo, surprisingly, looked livelier than she had last seen him in Lothlórien. Through the grime on his face, she could see the same rosy color that was present on the other three hobbits cheeks. His eyes were wide open, and seemed more at ease than the last time she saw him.

Gandalf dismounted the king eagle and went to check Sam, then Frodo. Déorwyn went to his side, and did the same, checking Sam to make sure that, other than scrapes, bumps, cuts, and smoke inhalation, he was alright. He was asleep, but was coughing and tossing about in the tight grasp of the eagle.

"Get him to a bed!" Déorwyn pleaded with a nearby healer. He obliged and carried Sam to a private room next to Eomer's.

Déorwyn looked over to Gandalf, and saw him sitting on the ground with Frodo laid about in his lap. She went and knelt next to them, and checked him over. There was a lot of blood on his clothes. She needed to find the source; it was still red and wet. She looked over his entire body intently and quickly, trying to find the incision. Gandalf stopped her, and with out saying a word, brought her gaze to his left hand- the index finger had been removed. She quickly ripped off a strip of cloth from the bottom of Frodo's shirt and wrapped it around it tightly to cauterize the wound. Frodo's eyes were still awake, but he said nothing, he just kept staring toward the blue shining sky.

The rest of the fellowship, who had seen the three eagles return, rushed down to the large balcony on the side of the healing house. They all stopped before Frodo. Aragon moved forward and asked, " Is he alive?"

Gandalf nodded, with a smile. The five that stood before them let out a sigh of relief. Frodo slowly broke his gaze to the sky and moved his head to the right to look at his fellowship. They all waited for him to say something, but instead he just smiled, and closed his eyes.

"Frodo!" Pippin shouted, fearing he had passed.

"Fool of a took!" Gandalf harshly said, eliciting chuckles from the fellowship. "The dear hobbit has been on the adventure of a life time, risking his life and his sanity! I think, at least he deserves to rest!" He said, almost shouting.

Pippin smiled and began laughing. Gandalf gave him a soft smile and began laughing too. Aragon walked over to them and picked up Frodo off the ground and brought him to another private room.

On the way to the room, Déorwyn checked in on Eomer, who was still sleeping soundly. She went in and threw a light blanket over him to make him more comfortable. He looked so peaceful when he slept. Another thing she adored about him was just this. She loved how he was such a ferocious warrior, yet out of his armor, he was gentler than a summer's breeze.

She sighed to herself, and left the room to enter Sam's room, where she found Merry and Pippin who sat upon the massive bed in the middle of the room. Surprisingly, Sam had already been cleaned and changed, and lay in bed under the sheets. He was awake and eating soup and bread that was brought up for him.

Weakly he said, "Lady Déorwyn!" with as much enthusiasm he could muster. She smiled and went over to him, kissing his forehead and said,

"My brave, brave hobbit. Rest, and save your strength."

"Mr. Frodo, Where is Mr. Frodo!"

"Shh, Sam, He Is alive. He is missing a finger on his left hand, but other than that, he will live." She said.

"It was the creature Gollum! He bit it off!"

"Shhhh, now Sam, you can explain after you rest." She said, believing the hobbit to be slightly delirious.

"How is Lord Eomer, Déorwyn?" Merry asked. " He was not faring well on the horse on the way back to the city"

"He is fine, he has a gash on his side that I took care of. He will be up and about tomorrow morning," she said, then remembering that they were to talk then.

"Who is this Lord Eomer?" Sam asked.

"The future King Of Rohan who Lady Déorwyn is quite taken with! He loves her!" Pippin exclaimed. Déorwyn felt instantly embarrassed by Pippins words.

She lightly clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Perrigrin Took! Do not speak of things of which you do not know!"

"But it's true" he muttered under his breath. Merry began laughing, and Déorwyn shot him as well a death glare.

"Anyway, Sam, you will meet Lord Eomer tomorrow, but now I must plead you to rest. You two troublemakers, come with me. We must check on Frodo and then get you two ready for dinner!"

"Bye Sam!" Pippin said

"Good bye!" Merry followed.

Déorwyn went to him, and kissed his forehead again, and said, "Sleep well, little brave one."

They left the room, and entered Frodo's. Healers were quickly cleaning him and changing him. Gandalf had his hand on Frodo's forehead, and closed his eyes to see what Frodo had seen. Déorwyn went to a small closet and took out cleaning and bandaging supplies. She went to the bed, and took the hobbit's left hand and placed it on her lap on top of a towel. Whatever had happened, Frodo lost the entirety of his index finger and the skin around the open wound was ripped and rigid, as if it had been bitten off. She looked at it intently, trying to figure out what had happened.

"The Ring consumed the creature Gollum and it brought him to his death. He had been following with the two hobbits and gained Frodo's trust. He deceived Frodo and, in a failed attempt to get the ring back, bit off his finger and fell into the depths of Mount Doom. Forever he will burn with his precious ring." Gandalf said.

"So Sam was not lying. He isn't delirious?"

"Not at all. I would guess you would have a hard time even believing what they went through."

"It is amazing that something so small can accomplish something so massive." She said, bewildered, looking over the tiny hobbit.

"It is. I knew I chose the right one for this task." Gandalf said.

Déorwyn smiled and continued about her work. There was not enough skin to flap over it and cover the wound- Frodo would have to wear a bandage over it for the rest of his life.

"A small price to pay for his life back" Gandalf said. When she finished, he continued, "Come, let Frodo rest. I do believe that a grand feast is waiting up in the great hall.

She looked over to Merry and Pippin who had been silent the entire time. On the mention of food, their eyes grew twice their size and they bolted out of the room towards it. Déorwyn could hear Pippin telling Merry about all the sorts of food Minas Tirath had on their way up. She smiled and walked up to the hall with Gandalf.

At dinner, everyone was in great spirits. The kitchen had prepared mass amounts of food and the doors were open to every person of the city to come and go as they wished. The fellowship, Déorwyn, Faramir and Eowyn mainly stayed in the hall greeting everyone and catching up with their friends.

As the evening dwindled down the fellowship, Faramir, Eowyn, Déorwyn and high-ranking officials in both Gondorian and Rohirrim armies were in the hall. Gandalf got up and made his way to where the thrown of the king sat- which no one occupied. He loudly cleared his throat and the room silenced.

"Friends, We gather here on the most victorious of nights. No longer do the peoples of Middle Earth need worry of the shadow cast out form Mordor. May they days henceforth be blessed and peaceful as they once were. I hereby declare that this day be the marking of the Fourth Age!"

Cheers spewed from every single mouth in the room. Gandalf himself began clapping and laughing. The men all around the room began chugging their ale and embraced their neighbor. Déorwyn and Eowyn, who were sitting side by side, looked at each other and, in silent agreement, took big gulps of their ale and hugged. They began laughing and hugging their friends around them.

Gandalf raised his hands up, again, signaling that he was not finished speaking. The room quieted down and turned their attention to the wizard.

"In times of war, we cannot fully celebrate without honoring those who lost their lives. I take this time to honor all the soldiers who protected the free lands of Middle Earth and fought to destroy the ring."

Déorwyn looked at Faramir, who was sitting across the table. He caught her eye, and reached across the table to hold her hand. He gave it a squeeze. They both were thinking about Boromir. She was finished crying over their loss because she knew that he was amongst family forever in the hereafter.

Gandalf continued, "There are also many still in the house of healing recovering from battle wounds. May we hope them a quick recovery." Frodo, Sam and Eomer now came into Déorwyn's mind, and she as well, hoped that they would be healthy in a few days- one more so than the other two.

He went on. " And to the biggest matter at hand. Events of this war have left the two realms of men ruler-less. Before he died, King Théoden of Rohan named an heir to his seat. This man, is Eomer, son of Eomund, and Third Marshall of the Riddermark. Due to traditions, He will be crowned in four days time, in front of an audience of his country men here in Gondor." Cheers followed. Déorwyn looked to Eowyn, who was beaming with pride and joy for her brother who was obviously not present. She, herself, felt the same way that she did when she first heard of Eomer's promotion to the heir of the thrown. _Eomer is to be king! Eomer is to be king!_ Went through her head thousands of times, and still she could not believe it.

"And to Gondor. For many decades, this country had been kingless. With the coming of the Forth Age, this will change too. Aragon, will you come forth?"

Aragon got up from his seat, next to other members of the fellowship, and approached Gandalf. He stood before him, back turned to the onlookers.

"Will you, or will you not, Aragon, son of Arathon, accept your birth right to the thrown of Gondor? Will you, or will you not lead the world of men valiantly with the diplomacy and strategy that you have demonstrated in these past battles? Will you or will you not be Aragon, King of Gondor and the world of Men?"

The hall fell silent, anticipating Aragon's answer. Déorwyn knew that her pseudo-brother had neglected claiming the thrown for fear that he would rule it like his predecessors. He feared that since their blood led to failure, and that blood ran through him, he would also set himself up for failure. She knew that not only did Aragon fear failing his people, but failing his own self as well. No one could deny, though, Aragon would make the greatest king Gondor had ever seen.

He stood there for a few moments, without saying a word. Finally he spoke, "I will, Mithrandir, on all accounts. I will accept the thrown of Gondor."

"Then, I present to you, your next King. It shall be made official in four days time!"

Yet again, another eruption of cheers and drinking flowed out of the hall. Aragon was approached by literally everyone in the hall, everyone wanting to congratulate him on his new title. They spent the rest of the night into early morning rejoicing the victory and celebrating the two men who would be crowned kings in four days.

She awoke late in the morning to knocks on her chamber doors. She threw her robe on and went to answer it. Not to her surprise, she found Merry and Pippin there, looking extremely happy to see her. With a "Good morning, Lady Déorwyn!" they both bounced into the room and threw themselves onto the couches in the sitting area. She turned to close the door, but found another there.

"Sam!" she said, surprised to see him up and about. He looked healthy.

"A good morning to you, Lady Déorwyn." He said with a slight bow.

"And you as well, Master Gamgee. I see you are on the mend!" she said, welcoming him into her chamber.

"Yes, the good nights sleep in a proper bed, I recon, really did the trick" he said. She smiled and went to the hearth to prepare some tea for her guests. She poured it for them, and went to wake Eowyn, but found her not in her room. _She must be with Faramir_ she thought, with a wicked grin playing at the corners of her lips.

"Sam, how fares Frodo?

"He was still fast asleep when I checked on him this morning. Gandalf said there's nothing to be worried about. He just needs rest. Neither of us got proper nights sleep in the past weeks. Not with that creature Gollum lurking around our camp."

"Frodo was lucky to have a friend like you with him, Sam" She said to him.

"Thank you, milady." He said, blushing and sinking into his seat.

She went into her own room, and washed and dressed herself for the day. Remembering she was to talk with Eomer, she took extra care to perfect her hair and outfit. She emerged from her room, and found the hobbits silent on the couches looking rather bored.

"So, what say we take a walk around the city. Pippin, you have been here longer than the other two, and I'm sure you can teach them all you know!"

The three looked rather enthusiastic, and bolted up and to the door. Sam made it there first, and halted Merry and Pippin as they crashed into him. "Now just you wait!" Sam said, " Ladies first!"

He opened the door and motioned to Déorwyn to take first leave through the threshold. She walked to the doorway and said to Sam, "Such a gentleman!" Sam blushed as the other two mocked him.

They spent the better part of the morning in stitches. The lighthearted spirits of the two hobbits were enough to put Déorwyn back to her normal self. There was no talk of war, just of tales past from the Shire. They stopped at midday in the gardens near the House of Healing for lunch. They drank wine and ate fruit and cheese. And continued to talk about their lives and what they had in store for their futures.

"Do you think we will ever see each other again after this?" Pippin asked, sadness

"Of course!" Sam interjected immediately. "At my wedding."

"You're getting married Sam? Why didn't you tell us! We're your mates!" pippin yelled, offended.

"You bloody idiot" Merry said, slapping Pippin upside the head, "he's not getting married, where do you come off saying that Gamgee?"

"I made myself one promise atop Mount Doom, and that's to marry Rosie Cotton when we return to the Shire." He said, stars in his eyes.

Déorwyn smiled. " Miss. Cotton is a lucky woman then!"

Pippin and Merry erupted in laughter. Sam shot them a look. "Hey! She was looking at me with a twinkle in here eye that last night in the Shire!" Merry and Pip laughed even harder. Déorwyn let out laughs as well. Sam looked annoyed.

"What!" he said. " What is so funny!" with a bit of laughter in his own voice.

"I may ask the same thing." A deep voice said from the hallway leading to the gardens.

Though Déorwyn knew who it was, she didn't turn. She knew turning meant talking and she didn't know if she was ready for that yet. She wasn't prepared.

"Eomer!" Pippin exclaimed as he rose to greet him. "I mean, Lord Eomer," he said with a slight bow.

"You idiot, he's king now!" Merry said, with another slap upside the head.

"I mean, my King Eomer!" Pippin corrected with a deeper bow, bring him parallel to the garden ground.

Eomer's hearty laugh brought chills to Déorwyn's skin. "Get up! We are all friends here! No need to address me as so!" he said, giving the two hobbits a pat on the back. " And you must be Samwise Gamgee." Eomer continued, turning toward Sam.

Sam rose, and bowed to the new king, and said, " a pleasure to meet you, your highness."

Eomer picked up Sam's head and said, "thank you, master Gamgee. Forever you will have the gratitude of my people"

"Thank you, sir." Sam respectfully replied.

Déorwyn turned now, she didn't want to seem stand-off-ish toward Eomer. He looked more handsome than ever. He was casually dressed- tunic and britches, with his boots and trademark hairstyle.

"How is your side?" She asked. She mentally hit herself when the words came out of her mouth. _That's the best you could come up with!_

"Its fine, thanks to you. I'll admit, that tea you gave me really helped me sleep through the night."

"Of course. My pleasure" she said.

They all stood there in silence for a moment, until Sam finally spoke up. " Oy, you two" he said, referring to his hobbit companions, "let's go check on mister Frodo! He should be awake by now"

"yes," Eomer added, " I saw Gandalf and Aragon heading toward his room earlier, why don't you accompany them!"

The three hobbits nodded and said goodbye to Eomer and Déorwyn.

Déorwyn made herself busy by picking up the picnic they had had. Silently, Eomer helped. Just as she remembered, it wasn't awkward as she thought it was going to be. Just being in his presence was enough to satisfy her.

"Déorwyn I must explain." He said after a few moments. "before, when you left Edoras, I was an ass".

"Eomer, there's no need, you had a lot thrown at you. I understand com-"

"no, Déorwyn, how I acted toward you was unacceptable. All you ever did was be your lovely self and look how I treated you. "

"Eomer, I-"

"Let me finish silly woman!" he said steadying her in front of him. she laughed. "I never should have thought that you would stay in Edoras when your family was here in Gondor. I assumed too much. When I was named heir to my uncles thrown, I also found out that you would be returning to Gondor. You had just come into my life only to leave as quickly as you came. I'll admit, I was building feelings for you. But, then I saw how elated you were to return home, I thought maybe you didn't feel the same way I was beginning to feel for you. So, I dealt with it the only way I knew how- I was an ass to you thinking it would be easier to see you go if I cut off my feelings. I was wrong though. I have never missed any ones company more in my life. The minute you rode out of sight was the moment I knew. I wanted to go after you but I feared it too late."

This did not come as a surprise to Déorwyn- having already been told this by Eowyn. It was nice though to hear it from his mouth. "Eomer, I wont pretend that I didn't hate you for how we left things in Edoras, but that only lasted until I left the gates of your city. Eomer- every moment I was worried about you. I was worried you would go off to war and something dreadful would happen and I would never see you again. time and time again I wished for time to reverse and we could go back to the time where we met atop your horse after you rescued me. When my father imprisoned me, the only person I could think of was you storming in and saving me- taking me in your arms and making me completely safe. " She began crying. "Eomer, I never want to be without you again."

"Déorwyn, I love you." He said taking her chin in his palm, tilting her head up toward his.

"I love you, Eomer."

They shared a long, passionate kiss. When their lips met, everything came together it felt. Déorwyn felt complete. When they broke, she laid her head against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

" I will never leave you again." he said. "Déorwyn, stand by my side at coronation"

"I would be honored" she said and kissed him once again. they stayed like this for an eternity until..

"Eh hem"

Gandalf stood in the archway. "forgive me, young loves, but you both are needed by the sewers for fittings for your coronation attire."

Eomer took her hand and led her out of the garden. "Of course Gandalf." Eomer said. " and if you could tell Faramir that I need to speak with him of something of the utmost urgency, I would greatly appreciate it."

Gandalf looked at Eomer, then to Déorwyn and saw them happier than he had ever seen either. He knew what Eomer must speak with Faramir about. " of Course, my lord" giving Déorwyn a smile and a wink.


End file.
